Egyptian Businessman Sues Bahraini Royal Over Breaking Deal to Meet Bollywood Stars

Sheikh Hamad Isa Ali al-Khalifa, member of the Bahraini royal family, is being sued £35m in Britain’s High Court. The Sheikh is being sued on the grounds of allegedly backing out of a deal to meet and spend time with several Bollywood stars, reports The Independent. 

The agreement was brokered through an Egyptian Business man who UK media refers to as 'Mr. Ahmed', who arranged exclusive 15-minute meetings with Bollywood A-listers at luxury hotels in India and Dubai. The Sheikh apparently made up a list of 26 Bollywood stars he wanted to meet, with the likes of Anil Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, and Deepika Padukone making his roster.

Mr.Ahmed justified his £35m price as it being a compensation for the loss of earnings we would have made if the meetings went through with the 22 other stars. He adds that the Sheikh agreed to pay more than £380,000 to sponsor the Times of India Film Awards, where he would be able to meet and speak to plenty of Bollywood actors.

“Given the positive relationship I felt we had built up during our work, I feel betrayed,” Says Mr. Ahmed.

The Sheikh alleges that no “legally binding agreement” was made with the Egyptian businessman. In the defense statement submitted to the court, the Sheikh claims that he backed out of the deal after Mr. Ahmed “started to put unfair pressure” on him, “making unwarranted demands for very large sums of money and seeking to arrange meetings which were not convenient”. He adds that the initial price laid out was £38,000 for each actor, only for Mr. Ahmed to later bump up the price to £380,000 for the most well-known stars.

The Egyptian Business man insisted that the case take place in London because the sheikh spends “a large part of his time” in the city and maintained a number of British bank accounts. He also points out the he would not get a fair hearing in Bahrain, considering.

Main Image: The Independent