This week’s two much awaited big releases ‘Mulk’ and “Fanney Khan’ are facing some legail troubles facing court trials. Both the movies are set to release on August 3, 2018.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Anil Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao’s Fanney Khan has landed in fresh legal trouble as Hindi film producer Vashu Bhagnani moved the Supreme Court against its release on Monday. Bhagnani claims that the film’s distribution rights for India was given to his company Pooja Entertainment Films Ltd. He had earlier demanded his rights for the film and also credits as a co-producer. The statement also asserts that Vashu Bhagnani holds the distribution, exhibition and exploitation of commercial and non-commercial theatrical rights of Fanney Khan in all India territories. The bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice AM Khawhilkar and Justice DY Chandrachud have posted the case for hearing on August 1.
Two petitions already been were pending before the Delhi and Bombay High Courts. The petitioner sought direction for transfer of the cases pending in the Bombay High Court to the Delhi High Court or to the Supreme Court and stay the release of the film.
On the other hand, A sessions court in Mumbai granted an interim stay on the release of Mulk. The film that stars Rishi Kapoor and Taapsee Pannu in key roles and centres around a Muslim family caught in a terror plot.
The court was hearing an application filed by one Vandana Punwani, who is embroiled in a property rent dues dispute with production and entertainment agency, Benaras Media Works Limited. She has claimed that the Benaras Media Works Limited has links with the movie and hence the release of the film should be stayed till the dispute was resolved.
According to the application, the agency, in 2011, had taken on rent Punwani’s bungalow in the city and had wanted to convert it into an office space. However, when it did not get the requisite permission from the civic body to convert the residential property into a commercial one, the company refused to pay rent to Punwani, the application alleged.
Sessions judge M H Shaikh granted an interim stay on the release of the movie and posted the application for further hearing on August 2. “Punwani in her application has made false claims that the Benaras Media Works has links with Mulk director Anubhav Sinha. These are not true. We are yet to receive the court’s order staying the release. But tomorrow we will either seek clarification from the same court or approach the Bombay High Court,” Sinha’s lawyer Vibhav Krishna said.