Upasana Singh, Nagma accuse Poonam Dhillon, Padmini Kolhapure Of ‘unofficially’ breaking CINTAA’s Rs. 90 Lakh FD & misusing it

October 1, 2026

Mumbai: The ongoing dispute over the committee of the Cine and Television Artistes’ Association (CINTAA) has taken another turn, with actor and former office-bearer Upasana Singh making serious allegations against Poonam Dhillon and Padmini Kolhapure regarding the organisation’s fixed deposits and bank accounts. In an exclusive conversation with IANS, Upasana alleged that funds belonging to CINTAA were transferred after a previously frozen account was allegedly accessed. According to Upasana, CINTAA has fixed deposits and accounts across five banks.

She claimed that when the previous committee was dissolved, the organisation informed the banks about the development and requested that the accounts remain frozen until a new committee was legally in place. “We have FDs in five banks and accounts in five banks. When our committee was dissolved, Deepak Parashar was the treasurer. So, we informed all the banks that the committee had been dissolved. We told them that when a new committee comes, whoever takes charge, the accounts can be opened. Until then, they should remain frozen,” Upasana told IANS. She alleged that the situation changed after the committee claimed victory in a recent development. “When we won a few days ago, we thought we would again inform them that this committee has come in. But our understanding was that the accounts would be opened only after a court order came stating that this committee would now function. Until then, they should not be opened,” she said.

However, Upasana claimed that the organisation discovered that one of its accounts had already been accessed and that CINTAA’s FD money had allegedly been transferred into another personal account. “We found out that the account had already been opened. They had opened their account there, and the money from CINTAA’s FDs was transferred into it. They have used that money in different places,” she alleged. Questioning how the fixed deposits could have been broken without the consent of the members, Upasana said, “It is such a big issue because if you want to break the FDs of any institution, you have to ask the members first. How can they break the FDs?” When asked whether an authorised signature would have been required for such a transaction, Upasana alleged that the office staff had helped facilitate the process. “They must have needed an authorised signature. But you see, the account was frozen. So what did they do? They met the office staff. The office staff is involved with them. They took the staff to the bank and showed them the stamp, the email ID and the office, and asked them to open the account through KYC,” she alleged.

Upasana went on to name Poonam Dhillon and Padmini Kolhapure while describing the alleged interaction. “They took Paintal saab, Poonam and Padmini and told the bank, ‘This is our stamp, this is our email ID and this is our office. You open our account through KYC.’ The staff was also there and showed the bank that this was their office,” she claimed. She further alleged that the individuals concerned represented themselves as members of the committee despite, according to her, not holding those positions. “When you are not holding any position and you are not the general secretary, how can you say that you are the general secretary? They declared themselves as the committee,” Upasana alleged. According to Upasana, the money was transferred through different transactions. She said the exact amount of fixed deposits that had been broken was not yet clear. “The money was transferred in different ways. We don’t know how many FDs have been broken because we have around Rs 90 lakh there,” she told IANS.

Actress Nagma, who seemed equally distressed, in an exclusive conversation with IANS, further questioned the alleged use of CINTAA’s funds for staff salaries amid the ongoing dispute over the association’s committee. Raising concerns over the reported breaking of fixed deposits, she said, “But this money is for the artists. How can they misuse it? They have opened a new account, but what is the point of opening a new account? What I mean to say is that the court has given a hearing date of October 26. So, how much time is left until October 26? We should wait for it. Whatever decision comes from the court, we will have to abide by it. Even if the decision does not come in our favour, we will accept it. Till then what is the need to break open the office and just sit inside? What kind of work is going on? After breaking a fixed deposit, you are using that money to pay salaries. “You are saying that Ganesh Utsav is going on, and it is necessary to pay the staff. But whose money is it? You are distributing the artists’ money to the staff. And this is not right.” Upasana and Nagma’s allegations come amid an ongoing dispute over the management and committee of CINTAA. Meanwhile, Padmini Kolhapure and Poonam Dhillon have not yet responded to the allegations yet.