'Deewar' filmmaker in dock over non-payment of alimony

Filmmaker Gaurang Doshi faces contempt-of-court proceedings for not standing by his undertakings to the Bombay High Court in a matrimonial case filed by his wife Madhuri Doshi. Gaurang was the producer of Amitabh Bachchan-starrers like Aankhen (2002) and Deewar (2004).
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According to a petition filed by Madhuri last week, Gaurang has not fulfilled numerous undertakings given to the high court at various stages of their case.The unfulfilled undertakings include not paying Rs 1 lakh as monthly maintenance for her and their daughter on time, not maintaining a “security amount“ in the maintenance account and not paying onetime alimony. Madhuri has alleged that Gaurang did not abide by these promises even though he earned enough money in the past year.
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The petition also alleges that Gaurang bought an S-class Mercedes Benz, costing around Rs 1.75 crore, in May this year. The petition seeks six months imprisonment for Doshi under the Contempt of Courts Act. When contacted, Gaurang told Mumbai Mirror that he has made the entire payment – alimony as well as maintenance – through Real Time
Gross Settlement on Saturday itself and it should reflect in the other side's account by Monday, after which his lawyer would be requesting the court to quash all 11 proceedings initiated against him by his wife. Gaurang and Madhuri had filed consent terms before the HC in December last year, by which he was supposed to pay Rs 2.5 crore as one-time alimony to his wife and daughter. It was to be di vided equally. He had, however, deposited Rs 1.5 crore till the last hearing on the issue about two weeks ago.
In the last hearing, observing that various opportunities had been granted to Gaurang, the court said the matter should now come up in due course, instead of being treated as an urgent case.
Madhuri’s fresh petition also gives details of money received by Gaurang between June 2013 and May 2014 - putting the amount to over Rs. 11.5 crore. The Rs 1.5 crore paid to Madhuri and their daughter between January and April this year was deposited in their accounts in five installments. The petition says that the HC had in August 2011 directed Gaurang to maintain Rs 2 lakh as balance in the maintenance account, so that his wife and daughter didn't face a problem on that count. A few months later, in January 2012, he gave an undertaking to the court that he would deposit the monthly maintenance on time. But, according to the petition, he has not been following his own undertaking.
On the issue of non-payment of one-time alimony, the petition says that in the consent terms signed in last December, he originally said that the entire Rs 2.5 crore would be paid by January 6 this year. Later, he gave an undertaking to the court in March this year that he would pay the entire money by April. But he did not do that as well.