Inside ‘Dhurandhar’ legal battle: Why Bombay HC restrained Santosh Kumar from accusing Aditya Dhar of script theft

The Bombay High Court has passed an interim order restraining filmmaker Santosh Kumar from repeating allegations that director Aditya Dhar stole the script for his blockbuster film Dhurandhar.

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New Delhi: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday issued an interim order restraining filmmaker Santosh Kumar RS from repeating allegations that director Aditya Dhar plagarised the script of his recent blockbuster Dhurandhar.

Dhar approached the High Court, claiming that Kumar’s repeated allegations were defamatory and damaging to his reputation.

Court Grants Interim Relief to Dhar

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According to a report by Bar and Bench, Justice Arif S. Doctor noted that Dhar had made a prima facie case for the grant of interim relief.

“Until the next date, the defendant (Kumar) shall be restrained from repeating words set out in the suit, and all other words of a similar nature. Issue notice,” the Court ordered.

The Court clarified that the order is specifically against Kumar and will remain in force until April 16, the next date of hearing.

Legal Notice and Defamation Claim

Dhar had earlier issued a legal notice to Kumar, denying all allegations of plagiarism and asking him to stop making such claims. After Kumar failed to respond, Dhar moved the High Court through DSK Legal.

Senior Advocate Birendra Saraf, appearing for Dhar, argued that Kumar’s accusations were defamatory and causing repeated harm to the filmmaker’s reputation.

“If he has a grievance about infringement, he can initiate legal proceedings. I will respond appropriately. But in the meanwhile, he cannot use such language,” Saraf told the Court.

Taking note of the wide circulation of the allegedly defamatory statements, the Court granted limited ad-interim relief to Dhar.

Allegations of Script Theft

The dispute comes after statements made by Kumar at a press conference days after the release of Dhurandhar: The Revenge. He accused Dhar and the film’s makers of copying his registered script titled D Saheb.

Kumar claimed that his work was used without credit, alleging that the story, narrative structure, and key elements of the film closely resemble a script he wrote in 2023.

Dhar, however, has denied all allegations, calling them baseless and defamatory, and has sought an injunction along with damages.

About ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’

Directed by Aditya Dhar, Dhurandhar: The Revenge follows Jaskirat Singh Rangi (aka Hamza Ali Manzari), played by Ranveer Singh, an undercover agent operating in Pakistan.

The film features a cast including Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Rakesh Bedi, and Sara Arjun.

The sequel clashed at the box office with Pawan Kalyan’s Telugu film Ustaad Bhagat Singh upon its release on March 19, 2026.