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Actor Sonya Hussyn has sent Tich Button producer Urwa Hocane a legal notice due to a “breach in contract” whereby she was not paid her contractual dues as the lead actor of them.

Images has reached out to Urwa Hocane for a comment.

In the legal notice dated October 22 and shared with Images, the Saraab actor’s legal team addressed the matter by reminding Urwa that she “entered into contractual relations” with their client. “Under express terms and conditions”, she agreed to pay Sonya a certain amount upon completion of the shooting, which began on February 2, 2020 and ended on June 5, the same year. The notice states that even though Sonya performed her part of the contract “in exceptional circumstances” such as the outbreak of Covid-19, she was not paid her due “despite repeated requests and reminders” accounting for a “breach in contract”.

It noted that after quite some time, “in stark convention and blatant violation of contract”, the Meri Shehzadi actor “fraudulently” attempted to pay Hussyn Rs500,000. The Mohabbat Tujhe Alvida actor returned that cheque and “unequivocally refuses to be a prey of [Urwa’s] fraudulent scheme,” according to the notice. Sonya is demanding the payment agreed upon in the contract which is “still outstanding”.

Additionally, she is demanding Rs5 million for “general damages” on account of “distress, dismay, mental torture, humiliation and embarrassment” within 14 days of the receipt of the notice for the “undesirable and unwanted circumstances” created by Urwa.

Upon failure to comply with this, Sonya has instructed her legal team to “institute civil and criminal legal provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code, 1860 for criminal breach of trust, cheating, fraud and misrepresentation” and file a civil suit in court and seek recovery of payment, general damages and attachment of Urwa’s immoveable and moveable assets.

Tich Button, starring Feroze Khan, Hussyn, Farhan Saeed, Sohail Ahmed, Marina Khan and Iman Ali, will have its countrywide release on November 11 after years of delay. A representative for Sonya told Images that she has not been participating in the promotional events for the film, including the recent trailer launch.