Doosra will open in cinemas on Friday as planned. The Delhi High Court declined on Thursday to stay the film’s release, even as former India captain Sourav Ganguly continues a legal challenge over the use of his cricketing identity. The court will take up the plea again on Friday, the day the film is scheduled to arrive in theatres.
For now, the court’s refusal to grant an interim stay means the release calendar remains intact. It is not a ruling on whether Ganguly’s claims will succeed.
What Sourav Ganguly has argued
According to an ANI report cited by The Times of India, Ganguly has told the High Court that Doosra uses references connected to his persona in a way that violates his personality and commercial rights. His plea highlights three elements:
- His captaincy of the Indian cricket team
- The 2002 NatWest Series final against England
- His shirtless celebration on the Lord’s balcony after India’s win
The former captain is asking for protection against what he describes as the unauthorised commercial use of his personality through the film.
The Lord’s moment that anchors the dispute
That 2002 final remains one of Indian cricket’s most memorable images. India chased down a big target under Ganguly’s captaincy, and his shirtless celebration at Lord’s became part of public memory. Because the moment is so identifiable, it sits at the centre of a legal question about whether real-life sporting iconography can be reused without permission.
Why this matters for Bollywood
Personality rights cover a person’s name, image, likeness and other markers of identity from unauthorised commercial exploitation. Indian courts have been hearing more of these disputes as public figures, including sportspersons, move to protect how they are portrayed and monetised.
The Doosra case is the latest test of a messy boundary: factual public events are generally fair ground for storytelling, but using a living person’s commercially valuable identity can invite legal claims. How a Delhi court eventually draws that line could matter to writers, producers and OTT platforms working with real-life characters.
What the industry should watch
A refused stay is not the same as a cleared film. The hearing continues Friday, and the final decision may still shape how much clearance is needed for celebrity-inspired material. Until then, the practical lessons are:
- Get clarity early. If a character maps closely to a living public figure, rights and disclaimers deserve early legal review.
- Separate fact from association. Referencing a public event is different from implying endorsement or using someone’s identity as a commercial hook.
- Track the outcome. Friday’s hearing may offer a clearer signal on how courts view personality claims in entertainment.
For audiences, the immediate result is simple: Doosra is still scheduled to release on Friday. The longer legal battle is only beginning.
Source: The Times of India