The Bombay High Court on Wednesday (April 8) passed an interim order restraining filmmaker Santosh Kumar from repeating allegations that director Aditya Dhar copied the script of his blockbuster film Dhurandhar: The Revenge.
The order was issued by Justice Arif Doctor while hearing a defamation suit filed by Dhar, who claimed that Kumar’s repeated accusations were harming his professional reputation. In its interim relief, the court said that Dhar had made a prima facie case supporting his request for protection against the allegations.
"Until the next date, the defendant (Kumar) shall be restrained from repeating words and remarks set out in the suit (filed by Dhar) and all other allegations of a similar nature," the court reportedly said.
The bench has scheduled the matter for its next hearing on April 16.
The legal dispute began after the release of Dhurandhar: The Revenge, which is a sequel to the 2025 film Dhurandhar. According to the lawsuit filed by Dhar, Kumar publicly accused him of copying the storyline from a script titled D Saheb, which Kumar claims to have registered earlier.
Dhar has strongly denied the allegations and approached the court seeking relief, arguing that the repeated claims were defamatory and damaging to his credibility in the film industry.
Before approaching the court, the filmmaker had issued a legal notice to Kumar asking him to withdraw the statements and stop making such allegations. However, when Kumar did not respond to the notice, Dhar proceeded with legal action.
During the hearing, Dhar’s counsel Birendra Saraf told the court that the continued accusations were causing serious harm to the director’s reputation. The court took note of the arguments and granted interim relief, temporarily restricting Kumar from repeating the allegations until the next hearing.
Meanwhile, Dhurandhar: The Revenge has been performing strongly at the box office and has emerged as one of the most talked-about films of the year.
