Bollywood casting director Mukesh Chabbra falls victim to impostor

Mukesh Chhabra

Mukesh Chhabra

Renowned Bollywood casting director Mukesh Chhabra has reported to the police about an impostor who used his name to publish a newspaper advertisement with a fake casting call for a movie.

Chhabra - who has cast actors in several movies such as Chillar Party, Gangs of Wasseypur, and Kai Po Che - came across an ad in a regional newspaper under his name, claiming that he was searching for actors for a Dharma Production movie. The advert listed a website 'www.dharam-production.com' and also provided a phone number.

Chabbra says
"We got to know about this yesterday from a friend when they cross-checked if it really was me. The ad has been circulated in papers in North India. It is really scary that someone is trying to misuse my name. I have put up a warning on Facebook after informing cops. We are planning to complain at the Cyber Cell today," Chhabra told mid-day.

Last afternoon, Chhabra tweeted about it to Mumbai Police and the commissioner, stating: "He is an impostor and is misleading aspiring actors, possibly also luring money."

Mumbai Police immediately asked Chhabra to register a formal complaint with the Cyber Cell.

'Serious crime'
"This is not the first time this has happened. People often make fake profiles, but this person has given an ad. It seems more serious than usual. We tried calling the number but he switched off the phone. He probably freaked out," said Chhabra.

Inputs by Mohar Basu