Home / Arts and Entertainment / Filmmaker's plagiarism claim settled by apology in court
Filmmaker's plagiarism claim settled by apology in court
5 May
Summary
- Aditya Dhar's defamation suit against Santosh Kumar settled.
- Kumar apologized for alleging Dhar's film script was copied.
- Court allows Kumar to pursue script claim legally.
The Bombay High Court has closed a defamation lawsuit initiated by filmmaker Aditya Dhar against Santosh Kumar. The case involved Kumar's allegations at a press conference on March 30, 2026, that Dhar's film script for 'Dhurandhar: The Revenge (2026)' had been copied from Kumar's work, 'DSaheb'.
On April 30, 2026, Justice Arif Doctor recorded the settlement after Kumar's counsel tendered an apology for the statements made. Dhar's counsel accepted the apology, leading to the suit's disposal without further damages. The court explicitly stated that Kumar is at liberty to pursue any separate legal remedies concerning his claims over the film's script.
Dhar had sought a restraining order against Kumar, who had publicly accused him of plagiarism after the film's release. Kumar had claimed to have registered his script in 2023 and previously shared it with production houses, alleging Dhar subsequently used the concept.
Earlier hearings on April 8 and April 16, 2026, saw the court issue a temporary injunction against further defamatory remarks and encourage an amicable resolution. While Kumar initially agreed to refrain from defamatory comments, his counsel initially declined to issue a formal apology. A subsequent mention of the case led to Kumar's formal apology and the eventual settlement.
