- Salman Khan sent a legal notice to Kala Hiran makers over personality rights violation
- The actor seeks halt on film release and promotions due to ongoing legal case
- Kala Hiran is inspired by the 1998 black buck poaching case involving Salman Khan
Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has sent a legal notice to the makers of Kala Hiran, a film inspired by the 1998 black buck case, alleging "gross violation of personality rights".
According to the legal notice, issued to Kala Hiran casting director Akshay Pandey, the 61-year-old actor has sought a halt on the film's release and promotions over the project.
The Kala Hiran poster.
The film is directed by Bharat S Shrinate and produced by Amit Jani, the team behind Udaipur Files, a film based on the murder of Udaipur tailor Kanhaiya Kumar.
Salman Khan's lawyer argued that the black buck case is "presently pending consideration" before the Rajasthan High Court, calling the film "defamatory in nature" and "gross violation of personality rights". In the notice, the lawyer for Salman Khan stated that developing the proposed film amounts to "interference with the administration of justice and directly impinges upon our client's fundamental right to a fair trial".
Salman Khan has "neither authorised nor consented to the use of his name, persona, or the alleged incident associated with him in the proposed film", the notice further read.
According to the notice, Salman Khan has called upon the makers of Kala Hiran to:
1. Immediately cease and desist from developing, producing, publicising, or otherwise proceeding with any film, project, or content that is based on/inspired by/relates to/is identifiable with our client, including but not limited to the proposed film.
2. Tender an unconditional written apology to our client.
If the makers of Kala Hiran fail to comply with the 24 hours of receipt of the legal notice, Salman Khan "shall be constrained to initiate appropriate legal proceedings, both civil and criminal, against you and all concerned".
Producer Amit Jani shared the legal notice on Facebook.
"Salman Khan is threatening people related to the movie Kala Hiran with a legal notice. The intent of this legal notice is just intimidation so that people surrender to glamour," the producer wrote in Hindi on Tuesday, as he quoted lines from legendary poet Rahat Indori's sher 'Hai uski aadat dara raha hai'.
Jani Firefox Films recently released the first look poster for Kala Hiran: The Battle for Legacy. The poster shows a man resembling Salman Khan aiming a gun. He is also wearing a firoza bracelet that is a spitting image of the one worn by the Bollywood superstar.
According to a press release issued by the makers, Kala Hiran promises "a gritty narrative rooted in real-world legal battles and action". The teaser of the film is scheduled to be released on June 20.
In 1998, during the shooting of Hum Saath Saath Hain, Salman Khan was accused of hunting two black bucks in Kankani village of Jodhpur district in Rajasthan.
According to a PTI report, while Salman Khan, the main accused, was sentenced by the chief judicial magistrate's court (Jodhpur district), other actors Saif Ali Khan, Bendre, Tabu, Neelam, and a local Dushyant Singh were acquitted.
Twenty years later, a trial court in Rajasthan convicted Salman Khan and sentenced him to five years' imprisonment on April 5, 2018. He was later released from the Jodhpur jail after being granted bail by a Sessions Court.
In 2022, the Rajasthan High Court allowed the transfer petition of the Salman Khan blackbuck poaching case, which effectively means all the pleas relating to the actor and the poaching case will now be heard in the High Court.