KUALA LUMPUR: Come next month, popular Hong Kong comedian and director Stephen Chow will be facing a lawsuit.
And the person who is taking him to court is none other than his former girlfriend Alice Yu.
Entertainment portal JayneStars reported yesterday that Yu was claiming a total of HK$70 million (RM37 million) from the God Of Gamblers star.
It was also reported that her lawsuit was actually made in 2012, claiming that Chow owed her commissions for the sale of their luxury home. Yu claimed that she received only HK$10 million (RM5.35 million) which Chow referred to as "gratuitous payment."
While they were in a relationship, Yu acted as Chow's financial consultant and helped him make profits through real estate investment.
He paid her a monthly salary and they made an oral agreement where she would receive a 10 per cent bonus from after-tax profits made in successful investments as commission.
However, Chow denied owing Yu commission.
Meanwhile, Chow is also under pressure from investors of his film company. As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic the cinema release of his new film The Mermaid II has been postponed, and it is believed that investors have demanded at least HK$200 million (RM107 million) losses caused by the postponement.
Chow, 58, began his acting career in 1982 and appeared in television dramas such as The Price Of Growing Up and My Father's Son before making his big screen debut in Final Justice in 1988.
His best known films include Shaolin Soccer (2001), Kung Fu Hustle (2004) and CJ7 (2007).
In 2013, his film Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons became the highest-grossing Chinese film of all time.