A new controversy has come up in the film industry, with filmmaker Aditya Dhar and writer Santosh Kumar at the center of a growing legal dispute. The issue is about alleged script theft related to the movie Dhurandhar 2, also known as Dhurandhar The Revenge. Things are getting serious now, as both sides are preparing for legal action while making conflicting claims publicly.
According to a source quoted by Hindustan Times, Aditya Dhar has already responded through his legal team and is thinking about taking more steps.
"Aditya Dhar has already sent a notice to Santosh Kumar through his legal team, denying the allegations and asking him to stop making false claims. Even though that happened, since Santosh continues to make baseless allegations, Aditya is starting the legal process against him," the source said.
However, Santosh Kumar said that he was not sent a formal legal notice.
He said that the message he received was just a reply to his email and that he was being pressured to keep quiet. "It's not a notice, it's just a reply on my mail. They were harassing me, telling me not to complain and that I am defaming them for my publicity. I told them I am going legal, so don't send me messages, come to court," Santosh Kumar reportedly told the media.
He also said that he tried to reach out to the filmmaker and the production companies but did not get any direct response.
"I couldn't reach director Aditya Dhar. I contacted the production house, Jio Studios. They said we are just producers, you have to discuss this with B62 Studios. I am filing a case against them. The producers are harassing me for making the story public... I told them, 'Come and legally answer me,'" he added.
In a video shared on social media, Santosh explained his allegations, saying he believes that Dhurandhar 2 is based on his original script.
He also said he has a lot of proof to back his claim. He was seen saying, "You must have seen the movie Dhurandhar 2. It's a very good movie. After watching this movie, I came to know that this is my script, my story. I worked very hard in 2023. And in 2023, I came here and narrated a lot of companies. Because they were saying that if you want a big actor, bring a corporate actor. So to get a corporate actor, I went to Sony, Zee, T-Series, Dharma Productions."
He went on to talk about how he tried to develop and share the script in the industry, and mentioned that he is a member of the Screenwriter Association.
He continued, "I wanted Aditya Roy Kapoor for the script of this movie. So I tried a lot. I sent stories to a lot of people. And I am a member of Screenwriter Association. I registered my story there in November 2023. I have all the proofs. I have all the mail communications. I have all the photos. I have all the sketches. I have all the scripts. You can see everything. I will be disclosing this. And also I am putting a case on this movie. Because they have made a good movie. I don't have a case for that."
Santosh also claimed that the film changed the original story, saying it was turned into something he didn't intend. "
Because they have exploited my story. I made this movie for cinema entertainment. But they made this movie politically propaganda. It is hurting me. I want to share a lot of my feelings today. So this is what I wanted to say this with the media people. To reach the public. Because there are a lot of innocent writers like me. A lot of people are from the south," he shared.
He ended by talking about a bigger issue affecting aspiring writers in the industry.
"A lot of people come from the states and try a lot. A lot of people think that the production team will support them. But this is not happening. They are copying the story and exploiting it. What happened to me cannot happen to anyone else. That is why I will put maximum effort. That a lot of people should know what happened to us. So thank you friends," he concluded.
As the dispute grows, the controversy has brought attention to intellectual property issues in the film industry.
Both sides are firm in their positions, and the matter seems to be heading towards a legal battle, which could decide the truth of the claims and set a precedent for similar disputes in the future.