Legal Crackdown: Bombay High Court Bars Writer from Calling ‘Dhurandhar 2’ Copied

Bombay High Court Restrains Writer from Calling Dhurandhar 2 ‘Copied’ in Defamation Case

The Bombay High Court has granted interim relief to filmmaker Aditya Dhar in a defamation case, restraining writer Santosh Kumar from making further allegations that the film Dhurandhar: The Revenge was copied from his script. The order provides temporary protection to Dhar’s reputation.

The dispute began after Santosh Kumar publicly claimed that Dhar had plagiarised his registered script, titled D Saheb. Kumar even addressed the media, alleging that the storyline of Dhurandhar was derived from his work. These statements, according to Dhar, were not only baseless but also damaging to his professional reputation, prompting him to approach the court. The allegations were widely reported.

Hearing the matter, Justice Arif S. Doctor of the Bombay High Court issued an interim order restraining Kumar from repeating or publishing such allegations until further hearings. The court noted that the remarks in question had been flagged as defamatory by Dhar and required immediate intervention. The court acted swiftly.

Importantly, the court’s order came after it observed that Santosh Kumar had already been served notice in the case but did not appear before the bench, nor was he represented by legal counsel during the hearing. Given the absence of a response, the court proceeded to grant temporary relief to Dhar based on the submissions made by his legal team. Kumar did not contest.

Dhar’s counsel argued that Kumar’s repeated public statements—especially calling the filmmaker a “thief” and accusing him of stealing a script—were highly damaging and could not be allowed to continue unchecked. The lawyer also pointed out inconsistencies in Kumar’s claims, including the fact that he himself admitted to never having shared the script directly with Dhar, raising questions about the basis of the allegations. The claims lacked evidence.

Taking note of these arguments, the court concluded that a prima facie case had been made in Dhar’s favour. As a result, it directed Kumar to refrain from making or repeating any defamatory statements regarding the film or its creator until the next date of hearing. The restraint is immediate.

The High Court has also issued a notice to Santosh Kumar, asking him to respond to the allegations and present his side of the case. The matter is expected to be heard again on April 16, when the court will consider further arguments before deciding on the next course of action. The next hearing will be crucial.

Dhurandhar: The Revenge, directed by Aditya Dhar, is a high-profile Bollywood project and the sequel to the 2025 film Dhurandhar. The controversy surrounding the film’s script has attracted significant attention, especially given its commercial success and large-scale production. The stakes are high.

This legal development highlights the growing number of intellectual property disputes in the film industry, where claims of plagiarism often lead to high-stakes courtroom battles. While the court has not yet ruled on the merits of Kumar’s claims, the interim order signals that allegations of this nature must be backed by credible evidence and cannot be made publicly without consequence. The bar for such claims is high.

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For now, the court’s directive ensures that no further defamatory remarks are made as the case continues, offering temporary protection to Dhar’s reputation while the legal process unfolds. The industry will be watching the outcome closely.