The Delhi High Court has asked the makers of Doosra to reply to Sourav Ganguly’s plea alleging a violation of his personality rights, even as the sports drama began its theatrical run on Friday.
The order keeps the film on screens but puts its central image under legal scrutiny. Here is what happened and why it matters.
What the court wants
A vacation bench of Justice Vinod Kumar issued summons to the film’s producers, director and distributor in the suit filed by Ganguly and Luv Films LLP, which is producing a biopic of the former India captain. The court also asked the makers to arrange a screening and said the question of any interim relief could be decided only after replies come in.
Justice Kumar listed the matter for October 29, while the high court is shut for the Dussehra break. A day earlier, the court had refused to stop the release. The involvement of Luv Films LLP matters because it is producing a biopic of the former captain; the case therefore touches both an existing fictional release and an official life story yet to come.
The Lord’s image at the centre
Doosra is set against India’s 2002 NatWest Series victory over England and uses the image of Ganguly celebrating at Lord’s. In the film, a young girl named Tara sees that moment and starts questioning the rules around her own life.
The dispute is not about whether the film can tell that story, but whether it can use a real cricketer’s iconic celebration without a licence. Ganguly’s counsel argued that no licence was taken. The makers’ side described the film as “not a biopic” but a fictional story about a middle-class Rajasthani girl inspired by certain sporting events.
Why this matters for Bollywood
Personality rights protect a person’s control over the commercial use of their name, image or likeness. A fictional film inspired by real events can still face a claim if a recognisable real person appears to be used as a selling point, which is what the court-arranged screening is meant to test.
The defendants’ counsel went further, arguing that a player cannot claim personality rights over clippings of the 2002 NatWest series. The makers added that due permissions were taken from appropriate right-holders for certain clips.
Two positions, one screening
- Ganguly and Luv Films LLP argue the film uses his personality without permission.
- The makers say the film is fiction, not a biopic, and that they had the necessary clip permissions.
- The court will watch the film before deciding whether the rights were violated.
For audiences, Doosra remains in cinemas. For producers, the next hearing on October 29 will be a signal on how much real-life sporting footage a fictional story can safely borrow. If the court eventually restrains the use of a real sports moment, it would push creators to either licence such footage or fictionalise it harder.
Source: Hindustan Times