Earlier in the day, it was reported how all the big Bollywood names which have emerged in the NCB’s probe so far has links with this celebrity agency called KWAN Talent Management. With this, it was disclosed that Uniworld Being Talented (UBT), the talent management company owned by Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, holds major stakes in Big Bang Media Venture, the holding company which owns KWAN.
This disclosure left the superstar’s bootlickers extremely rattled. Filmmaker and director of Salman Khan’s Uniworld Being Talented (UBT), Nikhil Dwivedi hastily took to Twitter to claim that this “NEWS is FALSE, MALICIOUS & MISCHIEVOUS”. Sharing news by Times Now, Dwivedi claimed that such knowledge in today’s time cannot be kept secret as all information is available easily on the public domain. Saying so, Dwivedi slammed the “major News Channel” for spreading fake news that Salman Khan had stakes in KWAN Agency.
This NEWS is FALSE, MALICIOUS & MISCHIEVOUS. No stake of any kind is owned by #SalmanKhan or by any of his associates in #Kwan. Such knowledge in today’s times is easily available in the public domain & its deplorable tht a major News Channel can’t verify as much. #Sad #Shameful https://t.co/fy5Y9HBELv
— Nikhil Dwivedi (@Nikhil_Dwivedi) September 22, 2020
A Twitter user (@Sharanyashettyy), dug out information from the internet to button up Nikhil Dwivedi’s claims.
Twitter user produces proof to bust Nikhil Dwivedi’s claim regarding Salman Khan
The Twitter user shared screenshots of news clips which proved that Salman Khan was indeed linked to Kwan Company. She shares details of Salman Khan’s talent management company Uniworld Big Talent (UBT), which shows that as on August 18, 2020, along with Salman Salim Khan, one Vikram Tanwar, Nikhil Srigovind Dwivedi and Amit K Dangi are also designated partners in the firm which was incorporated on February 22, 2018.
Big Bang Media Venture’s co-owner Madhu Matena and UBT’s Vikram Tanwar overjoyed with their business association
Notably, when in November 2018, Salman Khan’s talent company Uniworld Being Talented (UBT) picked up a strategic stake in Big Bang Media Ventures, the holding company that owns KWAN, it’s co-founder- Madhu Matena Verma had expressed joy by saying: “We are delighted with the opportunity to partner UBT and look forward to building large, sustainable and transparent entertainment services. This one of a kind association between a Bollywood superstar with a premium talent agency Kwan entertainment is one of the biggest alliances of the industry this year”.
Meanwhile, Vikram Tanwar, co-founder of UBT had said: “We are excited about this partnership and look forward to create great synergy between the two companies.” On November 9, 2018, Salman Khan had himself tweeted “I am UBT (Uniworld Being Talented) and I shall always remain UBT…..”
Salman Khan’s legal team denies allegations
However, Salman Khan is refuting media reports. The actor’s legal team has issued a statement against media houses for dragging Salman’s name falsely into the KWAN stakes matter. Salman’s legal team in the statement clarified that the actor has no stake, directly or indirectly, in KWAN or any of its group entities.
#SalmanKhan ‘s legal team issues a statement against media house for dragging salman’s name falsely into the KWAN stakes matter. pic.twitter.com/dz4351Pxwb
— Sumit Kadel (@SumitkadeI) September 22, 2020
Madhu Mantena Verma and his curious links with Big Bang Media Ventures, the holding company of KWAN Agency, Mantena Film Ventures and also Phantom Films
In our earlier report, we informed that KWAN Management was co-founded by film producer Madhu Mantena Verma. It is pertinent to note here, that Big Bang Media Ventures, the holding company that owns KWAN, was also a partner in Mantena Film Ventures, which has business related to film production, distribution, television production, music production, licensing, as well as new music label for independent artists.
Moreover, Big Bang Media Ventures was also a partner in Phantom Films which was co-founded by Madhu Mantena Verma along with filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, Vikas Bahl and Vikramaditya Motwane.
Now with all the links explained above, it becomes evidently clear that Madhu Mentena Verma is the common link which co-owns Big Bang Media Ventures, the holding company of KWAN Agency, Mantena Film Ventures and also Phantom Films, which was dissolved after October 2018 #MeToo allegations against Vikas Bahl where he was accused of sexually harassing an actress. Recently, Anurag Kashyap, too, was accused of sexually assaulting an actress, Payal Ghosh.
KWAN Agency became the first such Indian company to enter China
Interestingly, in 2019, KWAN Agency went on to become the first such Indian company to enter China in partnership with local company E Stars Films. It was reported that KWAN had signed an exclusive, long-term business association with E Stars CEO Allen Liu.
NCB summons KWAN CEO and others associated with the company
The Narcotics Control Bureau today summoned KWAN Agency CEO Dhruv Chitgopekar for questioning as it investigates the drug usage in Bollywood. Along with the CEO, NCB also summoned KWAN’s head talent manager Jaya Saha and Deepika Padukone’s manager Karishma Prakash who also works with KWAN.
On Monday, Jaya Saha had appeared before the NCB for questioning in the case. During the five-hour-long questioning of Sushant Singh Rajput’s talent manager Jaya Saha, NCB got information about those playing an active role in the Bollywood drug nexus. It was during Jaya Saha’s interrogation that popular names like Shraddha Kapoor and Deepika Padukone surfaced and WhatsApp chats had been retrieved in which they allegedly spoke about procuring drugs.
