The Bombay High Court restrained filmmaker Santosh Kumar RS from repeating alleged defamatory statements about film Dhurandhar script. Justice Arif S. Doctor granted interim relief in a defamation suit filed by Aditya Dhar.
MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has issued an interim order preventing filmmaker Santosh Kumar RS from repeating statements about the script of the Hindi film Dhurandhar that writer-director Aditya Dhar has alleged are defamatory.
Justice Arif S. Doctor granted the relief in response to a defamation suit filed by Dhar. The Court noted that although Kumar was served, no one appeared on his behalf.
Finding that Dhar had established a prima facie case for relief, the Court granted limited interim protection.
The order reads,
“Until the next date, the defendant (Kumar) shall be restrained from repeating words set out in the suit, and all other allegations of a similar nature. Issue notice,”
The bench specified that the injunction applies only to Kumar and will remain in force until April 16, when the matter is scheduled for further hearing.
Dhar’s suit arises from remarks Kumar made at a press conference held days after the release of Dhurandhar: The Revenge, the second film in the series. Kumar is accused of alleging that Dhar and the film’s producers copied his registered script titled D Saheb.
After the press conference, Dhar served Kumar with a legal notice denying any plagiarism and warning him against repeating such allegations. Kumar did not reply, prompting Dhar to seek court intervention.
The petition seeks an injunction and damages for what Dhar says are unfounded and defamatory statements. Senior Advocate Birendra Saraf, appearing for Dhar, argued that Kumar’s remarks were seriously prejudicial and defamatory.
Saraf told the Court,
“All I seek is, if he has a grievance about infringement, he himself said I am going to initiate legal proceedings. He can initiate legal proceedings and I will respond to the same appropriately. But in the meanwhile, he can’t use such language,”
The judge granted interim relief after observing that the contested comments had been widely circulated.
The Court concluded,
“In my view, the plaintiff has made out a case for the grant of limited ad-interim relief,”
Saraf was briefed by DSK Legal, with partners Parag Khandhar and Chandrima Mitra and associates Siddhi Somani, Zara Dhanboora and Diva Chanchani on the team.
Background of the Case:
Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge, directed by Aditya Dhar and starring Ranveer Singh, has become the subject of a dispute after filmmaker Santosh Kumar RS claimed the film’s story was taken from a script he wrote in 2023. Santosh says he has supporting evidence including a Screenwriters Association registration and intends to pursue legal action.
Santosh says he recognised the similarities only after watching the widely discussed film.
He said,
“You all might have watched Dhurandhar 2. It is working very well everywhere. After watching the movie, I came to know that it is my script and story. I had written it with a lot of hard work in 2023. I had narrated it to many companies because I was told that if I need big actors in the film, there has to be a corporate organisation backing it,”
He states he pitched the script to several leading production houses Sony Pictures, Zee Studios, T-Series and Dharma Productions while trying to develop the project with a larger cast, and that he had envisaged Aditya Roy Kapur in the lead.
Santosh says he formally registered the script with the Screenwriters Association in November 2023 and possesses email exchanges and other documentation to substantiate the claim.
He said,
“I tried a lot, and I had sent my story to many people. I am a member of the Screenwriters Association, and I registered my story there in November 2023,”
Declaring his intention to litigate, Santosh added:
“I am putting a case on this movie because even though they have made a good movie, my story has been exploited. I had written the film for cinema and entertainment, but they made it as political propaganda. It is hurting me.”
He also positioned his complaint as addressing a broader industry problem.
He said,
“What happened with me should not happen with anyone, and that’s why I will put my maximum effort to let people know about it,”
Case Title: Aditya Dhar v. Santosh Kumar RS & Ors.
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