Amboli Police in Mumbai registered an FIR against filmmaker Indra Kumar and producer Ashok Thakeria,
Vikas Baldevraj Sahni alleged that Maruti International sold the permanent worldwide rights of the 2007 film Dhamaal to Grand Master in 2019.
The complainant later discovered that the lifetime OTT and digital rights of Dhamaal had already been sold to Shemaroo Entertainment Limited in 2015.
Mumbai Police registered a First Information Report (FIR) on August 17 at Amboli Police Station against filmmaker Indra Kumar and producer Ashok Thakeria of Maruti International. Vikas Baldevraj Sahni, owner of Mumbai-based film distribution company Grand Master, filed a complaint alleging a ₹1.50 crore fraud over the 2007 comedy film Dhamaal.
Dhamaal film rights controversy
Police registered the case under Sections 318(4) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for cheating and common intention.
Maruti International stated, "We are currently in discussions with the concerned party and the matter regarding the rights will be resolved mutually after further discussions."
Dhamaal fraud case explained
The transaction concluded on October 15, 2019. NDTV reported that Grand Master bought the perpetual global distribution, digital and copyright ownership of Dhamaal from Maruti International for ₹1.50 crore.
During the transaction, Sahni said he was assured that the film's rights had not been sold to any other party.
Sahni later allegedly discovered a prior deal. He learned that Shemaroo Entertainment Limited secured the permanent digital and streaming rights to Dhamaal in 2015. This transaction occurred four years before Grand Master signed its contract.
Thakeria met the distributor in January 2020. According to the complaint, he disclosed the prior 2015 deal with Shemaroo during this meeting, and Maruti International subsequently signed an additional contract on October 29, 2020. This new arrangement left the producer with rights for only a single satellite channel.
Grand Master had applied for the cinematograph copyright on March 20, 2020. The Copyright Office issued copyright certificate CF-5230/2023 to the company on April 28, 2023.
Grand Master holds the official copyright certificate and the original film negative, Sahni said. The firm provided these records to investigators.
It also claimed that Grand Master incurred major financial losses.
He had also sent a legal notice to the accused on January 2, 2023, seeking clarity on the matter. As there was no proper response, he had to approach the police, following which the FIR was registered.
About Dhamaal
Directed by Indra Kumar and produced by Ashok Thakeria, Dhamaal starred Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Jaaved Jaaferi and Riteish Deshmukh.
