Doosra released on October 23.
The film has been mired in a lawsuit that alleged a breach of Sourav Ganguly's personality rights.
The Delhi HC granted relief to Ganguly and Luv Films, which is producing the official biopic.
The Delhi High Court held that Doosra prima facie violates Sourav Ganguly’s personality rights, though it declined to call off the theatrical run of the recently released film. Justice Tejas Karia urged the filmmakers to add an appropriate disclaimer in the movie. This disclaimer must be added in two days.
After declining to halt Doosra’s theatrical debut on October 22, the Delhi High Court ordered the filmmakers the following day to submit a formal reply to Sourav Ganguly’s publicity rights lawsuit and set up a private viewing of the movie.
High Court Calls Out Sourav Ganguly Personality Rights Breach
The High Court granted interim relief to Ganguly and Luv Films, instructing director Abhinay Deo, distributor PVR INOX, and the producers of Doosra to furnish an unconditional ₹2 crore bank guarantee for violating Ganguly’s personality rights. Finding a prima facie case of unauthorized commercial exploitation of Ganguly’s identity and iconic career moments, the Court held that the film’s promotional campaign undermines the commercial value of Luv Films' officially licensed biopic. Vikramaditya Motwane is directing the official biopic where Rajkummar Rao plays Ganguly. The court clarified that the order is limited to the interim stage and does not touch upon the merits of the suit.
As per the plaint, Ganguly gave Luv Films exclusive rights in August 2021 to produce and commercially exploit content based on his life. With shooting now complete, the production house has made substantial investments and created third-party licensing interests in the official biopic. The plaintiffs allege that Abhinay Deo’s Doosra unauthorizedly exploits Ganguly’s persona, leadership, and iconic 2002 NatWest victory in its promos to drive commercial traction without consent.
Doosra: India’s Other Freedom Struggle is a sports drama directed by Abhinay Deo and starring Plabita Borthakur, Ankur Vikal and Samidha Guru. The film hit theatres on October 23.
