Ajay Devgn in Maidaan. (courtesy: YouTube)
Ajay Devgn's brand new release Maidaan appears to have hit a speed-breaker already - the period sports drama, which released today, has been stayed in Karnataka after a plagiarism complaint. A sessions court in Mysore has ordered the film's release be halted based on a suit filed by scriptwriter Anil Kumar who claims he wrote Maidaan some years ago - the film tells the story of legendary football coach Syed Abdul Rahim, played by Ajay Devgn, and how he scouted talent for a national team. The order from the Mysore court was issued on April 8, reports News18. A statement from Maidaan's makers shared yesterday says they had just been served the notice and were not given a chance to present their case. The film is currently playing in theatres.
The makers of the film - Zee Studios and Boney Kapoor's Bayview Projects LLP - have now reacted to the Court orders and have released a statement, which states, "The said order passed by the District Judge is an ex-parte order, without giving us an opportunity of being heard."
The statement released by Bayview Projects LLP reads, "Dear all, We have just been served the copy of the Order of the District Judge restraining the release of the film. At the outset, we would like to place on record that the said order passed by the District Judge is an ex-parte order, without giving us an opportunity of being heard." The makers maintained in the statement, "We were not served any notice prior to the filing of the said suit for hearing of the matter. Additionally, the said order has been passed after the release of the film and therefore, any such order passed that restrains the release of the film is infructuous under law."
The makers added that they are filing an appeal before the High Court of Karnataka. "However, we are filing an appeal against the order before the Ho'nble High Court of Karnataka. We shall move the matter before the Hon'ble High Court for urgent reliefs in order to stay the operation of the said order. Without prejudice to the aforesaid, we are taking all the steps as we have been legally advised, kindly be assured that the release of the film can continue. We shall update you regarding the further developments regarding this once we move the matter before the Hon'ble High Court. Best regards, " read the statement signed off by Punkej Kharabanda, COO, Bayview Projects LLP.
Read the statement here:
Scriptwriter Anil Kumar, in a now-deleted LinkedIn post, wrote, "In 2010, I started writing the story and in 2018, I posted a poster about this, and I got in contact with ad director Sukhdas Suryavanshi through my LinkedIn post. He called me to Bombay (Mumbai) and asked me to get the script. I have the whole chat history. He told me that he'd make me meet Aamir Khan, but I couldn't meet him for certain reasons. I gave him the story and registered the same with the Screen writers Association. Recently, I heard that a movie named Maidaan is getting released. I was surprised because even I have the same story. When I looked at the teaser and their statements, I got to know that it was my story. They have twisted the main story itself and made this movie. I named the story Paadakanduka(sic)."
Besides Ajay Devgn, the film also stars Priyamani, Gajraj Rao, and Rudranil Ghosh. The film will clash at the with Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff's action thriller Bade Miyan Chote Miyan at the box office. The film has been directed by Amit Ravindernath Sharma and co-produced by Boney Kapoor and Zee Studios.