Amitabh Bachchan-Nagraj Manjule’s Jhund In Trouble! Stay Order On The Release By Telangana High Court
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After the historic success of Marathi film, Sairat, everyone is looking forward to Nagraj Manjule’s Bollywood debut. He joining hands with his dream actor Amitabh Bachchan for Jhund, is talk of the town since its inception. But now, seems like cinema enthusiasts might have to wait longer to catch this dream project.
Apparently, the film is done with the shooting process a long way back and amid the theatres’ shutdown, it was slated to arrive on OTT platform. But now, this Nagraj Manjule directorial has found itself surrounded by the clouds of controversies.
Reportedly, the petition has been filed against Jhund, over the claims of copyright infringement. Through his complaint, petitioner Nandi Chinni Kumar has stated that he has exclusive rights to the story of footballer Akhilesh Paul, on whom the film is said to be based. The petitioner has alleged Akhilesh of cheating.
In a response to the petition, Telangana High Court has ordered a stay on Jhund’s release. As per the stay order, the release is halted in both India and overseas market on OTT platforms.
The response from the film’s side is expected to be out soon.
Jhund deals with the story of Vijay Barse, coach and founder of the NGO ‘Slum Soccer Foundation’. Vijay encouraged slum children to play soccer or football, and avoid falling prey to bad habits. Among others, he was the coach of Akhilesh Paul, a gangster turned slum soccer player.
Meanwhile, back in May, a lawsuit was filed seeking a stay on the release of the film, which is scheduled for hearing on May 28. The suit was filed in the court of Additional District Judge Ranga Reddy at Miyapur, Telangana by Nandi Chinni Kumar, a Hyderabad-based independent filmmaker who alleged copyright violation.
A story on Vijay Barse’s life cannot possibly be complete without showing Akhilesh Paul, who went on to play slum soccer as Indian captain. Nandi Chinni Kumar claims he has bought exclusive copyright of the story of Akhilesh Paul, who has reportedly now told him he sold him the rights only for a documentary and not a feature film. Moreover, Kumar claims, the “Jhund” producers have telephonically informed him that they have bought rights of Akhilesh Paul’s story from the man himself, but are yet to share anything with him in writing.
