The ongoing legal battle between director Aditya Dhar and filmmaker Santosh Kumar has taken a turn towards mediation. On Thursday, the Bombay High Court urged both parties to settle their differences rather than allowing a defamation suit to spiral out of control.
The dispute ignited following the release of the sequel Dhurandhar: The Revenge. Santosh alleged during a press conference that the film’s script was a copy of his original work, titled D Saheb, which he claimed to have registered with the Screenwriters Association in 2023. Aditya, denying any plagiarism, subsequently filed a defamation suit seeking an injunction and damages, arguing that the public accusations had significantly harmed his reputation.
During the hearing, Justice Arif Doctor suggested that the matter should be de-escalated. He noted that if Santosh believes his creative rights have been infringed, he should pursue the claim through appropriate civil proceedings rather than airing grievances in the media. “A matter like this should be resolved. It doesn’t need to escalate into a fight for defamation,” the judge observed, adding that a settlement could potentially be reached within those civil channels.
Arguing on behalf of Aditya, Senior Advocate Birendra Saraf stated that although Santosh can establish himself as an author, but he cannot spread baseless defamation about anyone. To this, the advocate representing Santosh, Pravin Faldessai replied that his client was more concerned with his right to story, not about defamation.
It may be mentioned that through an interim order dated April 8, the court had restrained Santosh from making any further defamatory statements. Now, after giving him time, the case has been postponed to April 30 where efforts would be made for resolution of the case.
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