Delhi High Court stays the release of Hindi film “Badmashiyaan”

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday passed an ad-interim order in a suit filed by Multi Screen Media Pvt. Ltd (MSM), the Indian subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Television, staying the release of Bollywood film “Badmashiyaan”.  Multi Screen Media Pvt. Ltd (MSM), in its suit, had alleged copyright infringement by the movie’s producers. 

 

"Badmashiyaan' actors at its teaser launch

Justice Indermeet Kaur also restrained the film’s producers from airing trailers of the movie, which according to MSM, is a copy of a Korean film “Couples” as well as its own production “Mango”, that is yet to be released. The court, in its ad-interim ex-parte order, also issued notice to VRG Motion Pictures Pvt. Ltd which has produced “Badmashiyaan”, as well as Sidus FNH Corporation, the producer and copyright owner of the Korean film, and sought their replies by 22 May.

MSM has also sought damages of Rs.25 lakh from VRG for infringing its copyright. MSM has contended that the rights to make a Hindi remake of “Couples” was obtained by co-producer Kaleidoscope Entertainment Pvt. Ltd (KEPL) from Sidus FNH in March 2013.

Thereafter, MSM and KEPL “entered into a film production agreement, before commencement of production of the said film, and hence, plaintiff 1 (MSM) is the first owner of copyright in and to the said film,” the petition claimed. MSM and KEPL’s film, Mango, was produced in 2013-14 and its trailers were exhibited in February-March 2014, it said. 

In January 2015, MSM and KEPL had come across trailers of Badmashiyaan on ‘Youtube’ and found that the movie was an adaptation of the Korean movie as well as Mango, the plaintiff alleged. 

“Defendant 1 (VRG), the producer of Badmashiyaan copied the plot, treatment and screenplay of Couples as well as Mango. Accordingly, defendant 1 has infringed the exclusive contractual right of the plaintiffs (MSM and KEPL) to make the adaptation of Couples into Hindi language,” it has alleged. 

“Badmashiyaan”, starring Suzanna Mukherjee, Sharib Hashmi, Siddhant Gupta, Gunjan Malhotra and Karan Mehra, was slated for release on 27 February.