On Thursday (June 10), the Delhi High Court rejected a petition by the father of Sushant Singh Rajput wherein he had sought to restrain filmmakers from using the actor’s name, likeness, and lifestyle in movies based on his life.
As per reports, the application was heard by a single Judge Bench of Justice Sanjeev Narula. KK Singh, the father of Sushant Singh Rajput, had moved the Delhi High Court against proposed biopics on his deceased actor’s life. His petition was based on news reports that claimed that the movies, namely, “Nyay: The Justice”, “Suicide or Murder: A Star Was Lost”, and “Shashank” depicted the actor’s story.
Delhi High Court dismisses late actor Sushant Singh Rajput's father's petition against the proposed movies being made about the actor's life. Sushant's father had filed the plea restraining anyone from using his son's name or likeness in movies. pic.twitter.com/aB5WnJmIkz
— ANI (@ANI) June 10, 2021
“Any such publication, production, or depiction of the private life of the late actor is a blatant and wilful breach of the fundamental right to privacy which includes right to publicity,” the petition said. KK Singh had argued that no movies can be made with the prior approval of the actor’s legal heir. He also claimed that the movies, depicting the late actor, was released by ‘close confidants’ of the accused involved in the abetment of suicide case of Sushant Singh Rajput. He added that the purpose of the movie was to influence the pending investigation in the case.
Delhi HC refuses to grant relief, to consider the application of defendants
The Court, however, refused to grant an interim injunction and instead directed the movie makers to submit details of all profits, royalty, and licensing information to the Joint Registrar. It emphasised, “The Plaintiff has an adequate remedy of being compensated by award of damages, if the Plaintiff proves in trial that the celebrity/publicity rights were inheritable and inured to him exclusively. To ensure that, the Defendants are directed to render complete and true accounts of the revenue earned from the films by way of sale/licensing of all rights relating to the films.”
The Delhi High Court will also consider the plea filed by the movie makers (defendants), who sought rejection of the application by KK Singh under Order 7 Rule 11 of the Code of Criminal procedure (CrPC). It must be mentioned that Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri had earlier issued a notice in April this year after KK Singh had demanded a ban on the release of any movie on Sushant Singh Rajput’s life.
The mystery around the death of Sushant Singh Rajput
Actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his house in June last year under mysterious circumstances. After his death, a lot of questions were raised related to his death and the involvement of his girlfriend Rhea and her family as Sushant’s alleged emotional and financial exploitation was mentioned in a complaint filed by Sushant’s father KK Singh in Patna.
The case eventually got transferred to CBI on Bihar Police’s request and the Supreme Court’s orders. The case that was intended to be a simple open and shut situation for Mumbai Police had turned into a much bigger conspiracy that includes drug dealings, money laundering, and the alleged murder of the actor.
