Director Indra Kumar and producer Ashok Thakeria have been named in an FIR over an alleged ₹1.50 crore fraud linked to the distribution and copyright rights of the 2007 comedy film Dhamaal. The case was registered on August 17 following a complaint by Vikas Baldevraj Sahni, owner of Mumbai-based film distribution company Grand Master. Police are investigating the allegations.
Distributor alleges rights were sold
According to the complaint, Grand Master entered into an agreement with Maruti International, associated with Thakeria, on October 15, 2019. The deal allegedly covered the worldwide distribution rights, digital rights and copyrights of Dhamaal for ₹1.50 crore.
Sahni has alleged that he was assured that no third party had already acquired the film’s rights.
Shemaroo had reportedly acquired rights earlier
The complaint claims that Grand Master later discovered that Shemaroo Entertainment had already acquired the film’s lifetime OTT and digital rights in 2015, four years before the agreement with Grand Master.
According to the allegations, Maruti International later entered into a supplemental agreement with Shemaroo in October 2020, under which the producer retained rights for a single satellite channel.
Grand master claims financial losses
The distributor has alleged that the disputed rights deal caused significant financial losses to the company.
According to the complaint, Grand Master had also obtained a copyright certificate in 2023 and submitted documents to the police to support its claim over the film’s rights. The alleged dispute also affected the company’s planned commercial dealings with other digital platforms.
police begin investigation
The FIR was registered under Sections 318(4) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The allegations have not been established in court, and the police investigation is currently underway. The case will determine whether the claims regarding the sale and ownership of Dhamaal’s rights are supported by evidence.
‘Dhamaal’ released in 2007
Directed by Indra Kumar, Dhamaal was released in 2007 and starred Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Jaaved Jaaferi and Riteish Deshmukh in key roles. The comedy became popular with audiences and later grew into a successful film franchise. The current legal dispute, however, relates specifically to the alleged rights transaction involving the original film.
