Mumbai, August 19, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
An FIR has been registered against filmmaker Indra Kumar and producer Ashok Navalkumar Thakeria over allegations that a film distribution company was cheated in a deal involving the distribution, digital and copyright rights of the 2007 comedy film Dhamaal, police said.
The complaint was filed by Vikas Baldevraj Sahni, 53, owner of Andheri West-based film distribution company Grand Master, who has alleged a fraud of ₹1.50 crore by Kumar and Thakeria, associated with Maruti International.
According to the FIR, Grand Master entered into an agreement with Maruti International on October 15, 2019, under which it purchased the worldwide distribution rights and copyrights of Dhamaal for ₹1.50 crore.
Sahni has alleged that the producers assured him during the transaction that the film’s rights had not previously been sold to any third party.
The complainant later allegedly discovered that the lifetime OTT and digital rights of the film had already been sold to Shemaroo Entertainment Limited in 2015, four years before the agreement with Grand Master.
According to the complaint, Thakeria visited the exhibitor’s office in January 2020 and informed him that Maruti International already had an agreement with Shemaroo Entertainment Limited under which the rights had been granted to the company for its lifetime.
The FIR further states that Maruti International entered into a supplementary agreement with Shemaroo Entertainment Limited on October 29, 2020, under which the producer retained rights for only one satellite channel.
Grand Master subsequently applied for cinematograph copyright on March 20, 2020. The complainant said the company possessed a chain of title documents supporting its claim.
The Copyright Office issued copyright certificate CF-5230/2023 to Grand Master on April 28, 2023, according to the complaint. Sahni has claimed that his company possesses the government copyright and original negative of the film and has submitted documents to the police in support of its ownership claim.
The alleged dispute reportedly affected Grand Master’s business dealings with other major digital platforms, resulting in the cancellation of agreements and causing the company losses running into crores of rupees, according to the complainant.
The case was registered on August 17, 2026, against Thakeria and Kumar under Sections 318(4) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Police have begun investigating the allegations.
The allegations have not been established in court, and the accused will have an opportunity to respond to the charges.
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