Dhamaal makers face ₹1.50 crore fraud FIR over film rights; Indra Kumar, Ashok Thakeria named in case

Veteran filmmaker Indra Kumar and producer Ashok Thakeria are facing an alleged ₹1.50 crore fraud case over the distribution and copyright rights of their 2007 comedy film Dhamaal.

A Mumbai-based distributor has accused the duo of selling the film’s rights to his company despite some of those rights allegedly having already been assigned to another company. An FIR was registered at Mumbai’s Amboli Police Station on August 17 after Vikas Baldevraj Sahni, owner of film distribution company Grand Master, filed a complaint.

The case has been registered under Sections 318(4) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), relating to cheating and acts carried out with common intention.

Maruti International responds

Following the allegations, Maruti International issued a statement saying discussions were underway to resolve the dispute.

“We are currently in discussions with the concerned party and the matter regarding the rights will be resolved mutually after further discussions,” the company said.

What is the alleged rights dispute?

According to an NDTV report, Sahni alleged that Grand Master entered into an agreement with Maruti International, associated with Ashok Thakeria, on October 15, 2019. Under the deal, Grand Master paid ₹1.50 crore for permanent worldwide distribution, digital and copyright rights to Dhamaal.

Sahni claimed he was assured that the film’s rights had not previously been sold to another party. He later allegedly discovered that the lifetime OTT and digital rights had already been sold to Shemaroo Entertainment in 2015, four years before Grand Master signed its agreement with Maruti International.

What happened after the agreement?

The complaint alleges that Thakeria visited Grand Master’s office in January 2020 and informed the distributor about the earlier agreement with Shemaroo.

Grand Master further alleged that Maruti International entered into a supplementary agreement with Shemaroo on October 29, 2020, under which the producer retained rights to the film for only one satellite channel.

Meanwhile, Grand Master had applied for the cinematograph copyright of Dhamaal on March 20, 2020. The Copyright Office subsequently issued the company a copyright certificate, CF-5230/2023, on April 28, 2023.

Sahni has claimed that Grand Master currently holds the government-issued copyright certificate as well as the film’s original negative. The distributor has also submitted documents to authorities in support of its allegations.

Distributor claims crores in losses

According to the complaint, the rights dispute caused substantial financial losses to Grand Master. Sahni alleged that several agreements with major digital platforms could not be finalised because of uncertainty over ownership of the film’s rights, resulting in losses running into crores.

He said he sent a legal notice to the accused on January 2, 2023, seeking clarification but did not receive a satisfactory response. He subsequently approached the police, leading to the registration of the FIR.

About Dhamaal

Released in September 2007, Dhamaal starred Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Jaaved Jaaferi and Riteish Deshmukh in key roles. Directed by Indra Kumar and produced by Ashok Thakeria, the comedy developed a cult following and spawned a successful franchise.

The latest instalment, Dhamaal 4, stars Ajay Devgn, Arshad Warsi, Jaaved Jaaferi, Riteish Deshmukh, Ravi Kishan, Sanjay Mishra, Upendra Limaye, Anjali Anand, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Esha Gupta and Vijay Patkar. The film was released in cinemas in July 2026.