The Bombay High Court has given temporary relief to director Aditya Dhar, asking filmmaker Santosh Kumar not to publicly call him a “chor” or make similar remarks for now. 

The order came as tensions rose around the film Dhurandhar The Revenge, which stars Ranveer Singh.

The case centres on claims by Kumar that the film’s story was copied from his script, D Saheb. He alleged that he had registered it in 2023 and pitched it to production houses before the film was made.

However, the 43-year-old filmmaker denied the claims and moved to court, saying the accusations were hurting his reputation. 

Read More:  Aditya Dhar sends legal notice over ‘Dhurandhar’ copy claim

His lawyer, Birendra Saraf, told the bench that Kumar could take legal action if he believed there was copying, but could not make public accusations without proof.

“I just want that he should not make allegations against me (Dhar),” Saraf said.

He added, “He himself is saying that he had never shown the script to me, but he alleges theft of script by me.”

The counsel also argued that similarities in stories can exist within the same genre, saying such narratives “have been going on for time immemorial.”

The court, led by Justice Arif Doctor, noted that Kumar had not appeared in person or through a lawyer. It has now asked him to respond and scheduled the next hearing for April 16.