As Ajay Devgn’s ‘Maidaan’ premiered today, the film’s producers became embroiled in a legal battle. The Mysore court issued a ‘stay order’ on the release following plagiarism accusations by Karnataka-based scriptwriter Anil Kumar. Kumar alleges that after sharing his script with an assistant director of ‘Maidaan’, no further progress was made. The film narrates the triumph of coach SA Rahim and his team at the 1962 Asian Games.
On his LinkedIn profile, Kumar disclosed that he began crafting his film’s story in 2010. By 2018, he had publicized a poster and connected with assistant director Sukhdas Suryavanshi via LinkedIn. Suryavanshi summoned him to Mumbai for the script. Kumar asserts he has chat records as evidence. Despite promises, he was unable to meet Aamir Khan for unspecified reasons. Subsequently, Kumar handed over the story and secured it with the Screen Writers Association.
He stated, “Recently, I heard that a movie named Maidaan is getting released. I was surprised because even I have the same story. When I looked at the teaser and their statements, I got to know that it was my story. They have twisted the main story itself and made this movie. I named the story Paadakanduka.”
Boney Kapoor’s Bayview Projects LLP released a statement, which stated, “Dear all, we have just been served the copy of the Order of the District Judge restraining the release of the film. At the outset, we would like to place on record that the said order passed by the District Judge is an ex-parte order, without giving us an opportunity of being heard.”
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— BayViewProjectsLLP (@BayViewProjOffl) April 10, 2024
The makers stated that they did not receive any notice prior to the lawsuit being filed or heard. Additionally, they observed that the order was issued post the film’s release, rendering it legally void in terms of halting the release. They intend to challenge the order in the Karnataka High Court and pursue immediate relief.
Directed by Amit Sharma, the film features Priyamani, Gajraj Rao, and Rudranil Ghosh in significant roles. Maidaan competed with Akshay Kumar’s Bade Miyan Chote Miyan at the box office.