Palash Muchhal was caught red-handed with another woman in bed: Smriti Mandhana's childhood friend

Actor-producer Vidnyan Mane, Smriti Mandhana's childhood friend, accused Palash Muchhal of infidelity and financial misconduct. Mane alleged that the composer and filmmaker Muchhal cheated him of more than INR 40 lakh. A formal complaint has been filed in Sangli, Maharashtra.

Mandhana and Muchhal were set to get married on November 23. However, the wedding ceremony was postponed at the last minute after both sides complained of health emergencies. In December, however, the wedding was called off.

Mane claimed that the wedding was cancelled after a shocking turn of events transpired during the wedding festivities.

"I was at the wedding celebrations (November 23, 2025) when he was caught red-handed with another woman in bed. Bhayanak scene tha (It was a terrifying scene), he was beaten up by the Indian female cricketers. The entire family is chindi chor. I thought he'd get married and settle in Sangli, but it has completely backfired on me," Mane told Hindustan Times.

Mane, 34, said that the Muchhal family blackmailed and pressurised him to invest additional money into a stalled film project.

"When I met his mother (Amita Muchhal) last month, she said the budget to release the movie has now increased to Rs 1.5 crore. They asked me to invest another Rs 10 lakh or I wouldn’t get any money back. They started blackmailing me and threatened to throw me out of the film, thus I was forced to file a complaint," he said.

Mane stated that the Muchhal family cut off ties with him from everywhere after the wedding got cancelled last month. He said that he has all the necessary proofs to validate his statements and will produce the same in front of the police and media as and when required.

“After the wedding was called off, the family blocked me from everywhere. I found out that other artistes from the movie had not received payment they were due to receive either. I had heard of directors fleecing producers in the film industry but this is complete theft. I have saved all proofs including my chats and phone conversations that I’m willing to share with the police and the media," Mane added.

Muchhal, however, denied the allegations on social media, calling them "baseless and factually incorrect." He promised to take legal action against Mane, saying that his comments wanted to malign his reputation.

"In light of the allegations made by Sangli-based Vidnyan Mane on social media, I wish to state that these claims against me are entirely baseless and factually incorrect. They have been made with malicious intent to tarnish my reputation, and they will not go unchallenged. My lawyer, Shreyansh Mithare, is exploring all legal avenues, and this matter will be dealt with strictly through the appropriate legal channels,” Muchhal wrote.

Mandhana is currently leading the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026. The left-handed batter has scored 192 runs in five innings at an average of 48 and a strike rate of 140.15. She has helped the former champions win all the five games they have played so far and become the first team this season to make it to the playoffs.