OTT release of ‘Jhund’: The Supreme Court held that the Telangana high court’s decision to keep the status quo on the distribution of the film ‘Jhund’ was “against the balance of convenience.”
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the way for the release of Amitabh Bachchan’s “Jhund” on the OTT platform, overturning a Telangana high court judgment to halt its distribution based on a case filed by Hyderabad-based director Nandi Chinni Kumar alleging copyright infringement.
“It seems to this court that the decision of status quo imposed by the high court is manifestly against the balance of convenience,” stated a panel of justices Indira Banerjee and AS Bopanna.
In the meanwhile, the high court’s assailed ruling will be delayed.”
The ruling was issued in response to an appeal filed by the film’s producer, Super Cassettes Industries Private Limited, against the Telangana high court’s April 29 order.
The narrative of football coach Vijay Barse is told in the film “Jhund,” which stars Amitabh Bachchan. On March 4, this year, it was launched in theatres throughout India and internationally. On May 6, the producers planned to release the film on OTT platforms.
Filmmaker Nandi Chinni Kumar, on the other hand, claimed to be the assignee of the rights to Akhilesh Paul’s life narrative, which is also portrayed in the film. He sent legal notifications to the producer and others involved in the film’s production for damages and launched legal procedures.
A settlement was reached between the parties in October 2020, with a sum of 5 crores to be paid to Kumar. However, on February 28 of this year, he filed a motion for recall of the compromise order, claiming that the film’s creators had misled him. On March 4, his motion to recall the compromise order was denied by a district court and then by the Telangana high court. Following the release of the film, Kumar petitioned the Supreme Court for a reversal of the March 4 ruling. The high court ordered the status quo based on this plea, thereby stopping the distribution of the film on OTT.
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A compromise decree is still in force, according to the Supreme Court of the United States.” As previously stated, the picture was released in theatres in early March 2022 and is set for OTT/Satellite distribution tomorrow. The high court seems to have ignored the norms governing the issuance of interim relief, and in any event, the respondent 1 (Nandi Chinni Kumarclaim, )’s if any, is a money claim.”
The court ordered Kumar’s counsel to present all necessary papers in support of his claim and set the subject for a further hearing on May 12.
