Kannada film actor Dhruva Sarja has been booked on charges of cheating and criminal breach of trust following a complaint filed by filmmaker Raghavendra Hegde, the director of the film ‘Jaggu Dada.’ Hegde alleges that Sarja took a significant sum of money for a film project but failed to honor his commitment. The case was registered at the Amboli police station in Mumbai.
According to the complaint, the dispute dates back to 2016, when Sarja allegedly approached Hegde to collaborate on a film. Hegde, a director and producer, claims that after repeated requests from Sarja, he agreed to the project. Before signing a formal contract, Sarja allegedly requested an advance payment of ₹3.15 crore, claiming he needed the money to buy a flat. Hegde says he arranged the funds by borrowing at high interest rates and transferred the amount to Sarja between 2018 and 2021.
Hegde alleges that after receiving the money, Sarja continuously sought extensions, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as one reason. Following the lockdown, Sarja reportedly became unresponsive, stopped taking calls, and eventually backed out of the project. Hegde’s total financial loss, including additional payments made to third parties at Sarja’s behest and 18% interest on the borrowed funds, is now estimated to be over ₹9.58 crore.
The Amboli police have registered a case against Sarja under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Sections 316(2) (Criminal Breach of Trust) and 318(4) (Cheating). Sarja, who is starring in the upcoming film KD: The Devil, initially secured a 10-day transit anticipatory bail from a court in Bengaluru but has since filed for anticipatory bail in a Mumbai sessions court. The court has granted him interim protection until a later date.
This is not the first time Sarja has faced such accusations. Hegde’s complaint also mentions a letter from a Hyderabad-based production house to the Karnataka Film Chamber in 2021, which made similar allegations against the actor. The investigation is currently underway as police examine financial records and documents provided by the complainant.
