Explained | 'Jigra' controversy: Why Divya Khossla is going head-to-head with Alia Bhatt and Karan Johar

Alia Bhatt starrer Jigra has been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons since its release. While audience reactions remain lukewarm, the makers are also facing criticism from Divya Khossla, wife of T-Series owner Bhushan Kumar.

It all started with Divya claiming the movie is a ‘copy’ of her film Savi, a jailbreak story which was released earlier 2024. Savi is inspired by The Next Three Days (2010), for which Divya’s team had secured the rights. She further claimed that "both films share the same storyline", but her project "was in production first".

In Savi, a wife is sent to a high-security prison to free her husband, while Jigra follows a sister’s quest to rescue her brother, who faces execution, with the help of two accomplices. Though both films share a jailbreak theme, they unfold in unique ways.

A screengrab of Divya Khossla's Instagram story.

Days after Jigra premiered, Divya asked viewers to be the judges of the plagiarism claims. She further took to social media and publicly criticised the film's poor box office collection accusing Alia Bhatt and Karan Johar of inflating the box-office figures.

She wrote, “Went to Citi Mall PVR for Jigra show. Theatre was totally empty … all theatres going empty every where. #Aliabhatt me sach mein Bahut #Jigra hai.. khud hi tickets karide aur fake collections announce kar diye. Wonder why paid media is silent. #weshdnotfooltheaudience #truthoverlies #HappyDussehra.” (sic)

Her post sparked controversy and the situation quickly escalated into a war of words between her and Jigra makers with both exchanging sharp remarks on social media.

In an interview with Hindustan Times, Divya Khossla took further jabs at Karan Johar and Jigra, sharing her side of the story regarding the ongoing controversy.

Reacting to Karan Johar’s Instagram post, “Silence is the best speech you will ever give to fools,” Divya responded, “Today when I speak up, Mr Karan Johar uses derogatory language to shut me down. Is it right to call a woman a fool for pointing out unethical practices? If this happens to me, what about those new to the industry? No one is a king here, and I won’t be treated like a subject. Many more derogatory words were used in their PR articles and called my taking a stand as a PR stunt. I’m sorry, I don’t need one. I’m already well known.”

A screengrab of Karan Johar's Instagram story.

Alia’s uncle, Mukesh Bhatt, who co-produced Savi, is the shared connection between Jigra and Savi. When asked if she talked about the similarities with him, Divya Khossla confirmed that they did discuss the topic. However, she chooses not to involve him directly due to his family ties and his age, which is 72.

Divya emphasised that their relationship is both respectful and deep, mentioning that the matter was brought up multiple times during filming. However, he has chosen to remain silent and has not reacted to the controversy.

As the controversy intensifies, both parties keep taking digs at each other on social media. Nevertheless, there are attempts to reconcile, and only time will tell how the situation unfolds.

Jigra has become one of Alia Bhatt's least successful openers in recent history, collecting only Rs 11 crore in its first two days of release. The movie failed to attract audiences to the theatres despite the Dussehra holidays. Directed by Vasan Bala, the film is produced by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, among others.