Laapataa Ladies actor Satendra Soni has filed a Zero FIR against filmmaker Pushpendra Singh and his wife, actor Pragati Chauhan, alleging non-payment of dues, assault, intimidation and wrongful confinement during the shoot of their film Paid Paalki. Soni has also alleged that the couple promised him a role in the film, failed to honour their financial commitments and subjected him to harassment over his appearance and dwarfism, affecting his mental, physical and financial well-being.
The Zero FIR was filed on Thursday under Sections 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 127(3) (wrongful confinement), 3(5) (offence committed by several persons in furtherance of common intention), 351(2) (criminal intimidation) and 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace). In his complaint, Soni identified himself as a struggling actor for whom acting is his only source of income. He also mentioned that he has dwarfism.
According to the FIR, Satendra Soni first met Pushpendra Singh around one-and-a-half years ago, when the filmmaker offered him a role in a film titled Shubh Sandesh. The project was later shelved. A year later, on April 1, 2026, Singh allegedly contacted him and informed him that the film had been renamed Paid Paalki and was about to go on floors.
Soni claimed he was finalised for the film at a remuneration of Rs 30,000 per day, with the total amount agreed upon being Rs 3 lakh. He was allegedly paid Rs 50,000 as an advance and assured that the remaining amount would be paid in instalments during the shoot. However, according to Soni, the situation changed once he reached the shooting location in Madhya Pradesh.
Satendra Soni alleged that there was initially no vanity van for the actors and that, when one was eventually arranged, it had to be shared by the entire cast. He also claimed that the location lacked proper sanitation facilities and that stale food was served to the crew.
As concerns over pending payments began to surface among members of the unit, Soni said he too became worried and approached Raja Chaudhary, an assistant director on the project and his point of contact.
“He was also my contact person, but he told me finances was not his department,” the actor alleged in his complaint.
He further alleged that he was ridiculed on set because of his appearance and dwarfism. According to him, locals on the set would pick him up and take photographs with him without his consent.
“People on the set tried to pick me up and click pictures with me. The production didn’t care for my security,” he alleged.
Soni claimed that when he objected to the behaviour, which he said was affecting his mental health, his concerns were ignored. He further alleged that Chaudhary discussed the matter with the director’s wife, Pragati Chauhan, who then abused him and refused to clear his pending payment. “She called me a dwarf, abused me and refused to make my payment,” the actor alleged.
According to Satendra Soni , the situation eventually triggered a panic attack. “I was shivering, but nobody came to help me. There were no medical facilities available. The food was stale,” he alleged, further claiming that he worked for nearly 16 hours with only a samosa to eat.
Soni also alleged that the director and his wife would use cabs assigned to the actors to leave the location before them, without making alternative arrangements for the cast. He claimed this left him stranded, following which villagers allegedly surrounded him, forcibly held him and took photographs.
Soni said he wanted to raise the issue directly with Pushpendra, who eventually called him but allegedly threatened him with consequences if he refused to complete the film. “I wanted to address this to the director who finally called me but threatened me to finish the film or leave the hotel room in 10 minutes. He threatened to beat me up,” he alleged.
The actor further accused Pragati of threatening to kill him. Soni claimed that when he and the film’s lead actor, Shridhar Dubey, decided to leave the project, the couple allegedly assaulted them.
According to Satendra Soni’s complaint, Pushpendra also threatened to die by suicide and write their names in his suicide note. Pragati, he alleged, threatened to implicate them in false legal cases. The actors eventually called the police, following which, according to Soni, the couple pleaded with the police not to halt the shoot, claiming that doing so would leave several people associated with the film unemployed.
Soni claimed that the police subsequently asked both sides to resolve the dispute, with the actors insisting that their pending compensation be cleared before they resumed shooting. But no such settlements took place.
The actor has further alleged that the couple had taken money from multiple people in the name of making a film and claimed that they had a history of similar incidents. These allegations have not been independently verified.
With police protection, Satendra Soni and the other actors eventually returned to Mumbai, where the Zero FIR was filed.
