- Indra Kumar and Ashok Thakeria face police case for alleged Rs 1.5 crore cheating
- Complaint filed by Grand Master over disputed Dhamaal worldwide and digital rights sale
- Maruti International sold Dhamaal rights to Grand Master in 2019, claiming no third-party rights
The Amboli Police in Mumbai have registered a case against veteran filmmaker Indra Kumar and producer Ashok Thakeria following a complaint by a film distribution company that accused them of allegedly cheating it of Rs 1.5 crore. The case pertains to the sale of the worldwide distribution and digital rights of the 2007 comedy hit Dhamaal.
According to the complaint, the producers allegedly sold rights that had already been assigned to another company years earlier, causing significant financial losses to the distributor. The FIR was registered after the complainant submitted documentary evidence and alleged that the accused failed to provide a satisfactory response to a legal notice.
Details
The Amboli Police have registered a case against veteran director Indra Kumar and producer Ashok Thakeria under Sections 318(4) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for allegedly defrauding a distribution firm of Rs 1.5 crore.
The action follows a complaint lodged by Vikas Baldevraj Sahani (53), owner of the Andheri-based film distribution company Grand Master, who has alleged cheating and forgery by the duo's production house, Maruti International.
According to the FIR, Maruti International sold the permanent worldwide distribution and digital copyrights of the hit 2007 comedy film Dhamaal to Grand Master for Rs 1.5 crore in October 2019, assuring the buyer that no third-party rights existed over the film.
The alleged fraud came to light when Sahani discovered that the producers had already sold the lifetime OTT and digital rights of the same film to Shemaroo Entertainment Limited in 2015.
Sahani submitted documentary evidence, including an official copyright certificate issued by the Government of India in April 2023 and records showing that the film's original laboratory picture and sound negatives were transferred to his firm in January 2020, which he claims establish Grand Master's legal ownership of the rights.
According to the complaint, the accused's actions resulted in the cancellation of several digital distribution deals, causing losses worth several crores of rupees to the firm. Police have begun an investigation into the matter after the accused allegedly failed to respond satisfactorily to a legal notice issued in January 2023.
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