Bombay HC Refuses to Stay Release of Bollywood Film ‘Dream Girl 2’

The Bombay High Court recently refused to stay the release of the Hindi film “Dream Girl 2”.

The film, starring Ayushmann Khurrana is scheduled to be released today i.e., August 25, 2023.

A bench of Justice RI Chagla ruled that last-minute halts to film releases should be avoided.

“The interim application has only been filed on 18th August, 2023. The Respondents have not had an opportunity to reply to the interim application. It is well established that films should not be prevented from release at the eleventh hour. An opportunity is required to be given to the Respondent/Defendant to file their reply to the interim application,” the order reads.

The copyright infringement suit was filed by Ashim Bagchi, who alleged that the film’s storyline resembled a script he had registered with the Film Screen Writers Association in May 2007. Bagchi stated that he re-registered the script after making a minor title alteration. After viewing the trailer of “Dream Girl 2” on August 1, Bagchi claimed to have found several plot and character similarities. He sent a cease and desist notice to Balaji Telefilms, the production company, as well as directors Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor.

With no response to the notice, Bagchi approached the High Court with a commercial suit on August 18. He sought an order to halt the film’s release until the copyright suit is resolved.

The single bench listened to all parties involved, including the film’s writers Raaj Shaandilyaa of Think Ink Picturez Ltd and Naresh Kathooria. The respondents were given time to respond to the application, and the final hearing was scheduled for August 30. However, Justice Chagla declined to issue a stay on the film’s release.