Actor Rakul Preet Singh has opened up about the severe financial setback her husband Jackky Bhagnani’s production house, Pooja Entertainment, suffered last year when three consecutive big-budget films—Mission Raniganj, Ganapath, and the Akshay Kumar-Tiger Shroff starrer Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (made on a reported ₹400 crore budget)—bombed at the box office. Speaking on the Humans of Bombay podcast, Rakul confirmed the family faced “a lot of financial loss” and a huge blow” but pushed back against exaggerated media reports that the company had shut down.

“It was a very challenging time for the family and for him,” she said, adding that much of what appeared in the news “wasn’t even correct.” Rakul revealed that the couple deliberately stayed away from reading headlines during the crisis, with her choosing to remain “unbothered” because she knew the ground reality firsthand. She emphasised that no production house is immune to such phases, drawing a parallel with Amitabh Bachchan’s near-bankruptcy in the 1990s.

The string of flops triggered drastic measures at Pooja Entertainment: reports emerged of 80 per cent staff layoffs, unpaid dues to crew members (later reportedly cleared with help from Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff), and the mortgaging of multiple office properties and Vashu Bhagnani’s personal assets. Vashu Bhagnani also filed an FIR against Bade Miyan Chote Miyan director Ali Abbas Zafar, alleging budget inflation and financial misconduct.

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Despite the turbulence, Rakul described the episode as “just a phase”, highlighting her philosophy of focusing on gratitude rather than negativity. “Any situation has two ways of looking at it—I can either register everything wrong that’s happening or be grateful that I have a roof over my head, a healthy body, and work,” she said, adding that the family has now moved past the crisis and is looking ahead.

Pooja Entertainment, founded by veteran producer Vashu Bhagnani and now co-headed by his son Jackky (whom Rakul married in February 2024), has not announced any new theatrical projects since the 2024 debacles but is believed to be restructuring before its next slate. Rakul’s candid interview has been widely praised for its maturity and for offering a rare insider glimpse into how Bollywood’s first families cope with massive financial reversals.

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