Delhi High Court Asks For Doosra Screening: the Court wants to watch the film before deciding whether it violates Sourav Ganguly’s personality rights, and has left the OTT release undisturbed for now.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday asked the producers of the film Doosra to arrange a screening for the Court, and issued summons to its directors and producers in the suit filed by former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly alleging violation of his personality rights, while declining an oral request to stop the film’s release on over-the-top (OTT) platforms [Sourav Ganguly and Another v. Makers of the Film Doosra and Others].
Justice Vinod Kumar said that watching the film would be important to understand whether Mr Ganguly’s personality rights have been violated, as he claims. The defendants have been asked to file their replies to the plaintiffs’ injunction application, which the Court will decide after considering those responses.
How the case reached here
Mr Ganguly and the production house Luv Films LLP have approached the High Court seeking to restrain the film’s theatrical, digital and other releases, as well as circulation of promotional material that allegedly uses his name, image, likeness and iconic cricketing moments without authorisation. They cite his captaincy in the NatWest series final and his shirtless celebration at Lord’s. The film released in theatres on Friday. On Thursday (October 22), the High Court had declined to stay its theatrical release.
According to the suit, Mr Ganguly entered into an agreement with Luv Films LLP on August 5, 2021, granting it exclusive rights to develop, produce and commercially exploit audiovisual content, including a biographical film on his life and cricketing career. The plaintiffs say the production house has made substantial investments in the authorised biopic, titled Dada – The Sourav Ganguly Story, which is scheduled for release on May 14, 2027.
What the plaintiffs allege
The plaintiffs allege that the trailer and promotional campaign for Doosra, launched on October 12, prominently refer to Mr Ganguly’s leadership of the Indian team and its victory in the 2002 NatWest series final at Lord’s, including the shirtless celebration on the balcony. They contend that these references are used to generate commercial interest by capitalising on his identity and reputation, and may create the impression that he is associated with or has endorsed the film.
The suit also cites an October 13 interview in which the film’s director, Abhinay Deo, discussed how the 2002 NatWest final and milestones in Mr Ganguly’s career influenced the film’s fictional character, Tara. They further allege infringement of the production house’s exclusive contractual rights over his proposed biopic. These are the plaintiffs’ allegations at an interim stage and have not been tested.
The legal position
Personality rights in India are not codified in a statute and have developed through court decisions, with the Delhi High Court hearing a run of such suits by public figures in recent months. Where a film is the target, courts have weighed the claim against the filmmakers’ freedom of expression. In July 2023, the Delhi High Court declined to restrain the film Nyay: The Justice, based on the life of the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, in a suit by his father, holding among other things that publicity rights cannot be inherited. That case concerned a deceased person, whereas this suit involves a living cricketer and a contractual claim by his authorised biopic producer.
Why the order matters
By asking to see the film, the Court has signalled that it will test the personality rights claim against what is actually on screen rather than the trailer and promotional material alone. That matters because the defendants have maintained that Doosra is a work of fiction, a contention the Court has not ruled on.
Refusing to stop the OTT release at the oral stage also means the film remains available while the injunction application awaits the defendants’ replies. The Court has expressed no view on the merits, and the allegations on both sides remain untested.
Case Title: Sourav Ganguly and Another v. Makers of the Film Doosra and Others [suit number not reported]
Bench: Justice Vinod Kumar, Delhi High Court
Date of Order: October 23, 2026
Appearances: Counsel for the parties (names not reported)