The Delhi high court declined to stay the release of Doosra yesterday (October 23) in a case filed by cricketer Sourav Ganguly and Luv Films. Ganguly had moved the court alleging violation of his personality rights over the use of his iconic jersey-waving celebration at Lord’s in 2002 after India’s win against England in the NatWest final.
The producers of Doosra told the court that the film was based on a fictional character, Tara, and that they had secured permission to use the footage of the cricket match because of which the footage did not infringe Sourav’s personality rights.
Ganguly and Luv Films alleged that the makers of Doosra were using the moment along with his name and image, to promote their film. They argued that this could lead the audience to believe that the cricketer was associated with or had endorsed the film. Ganguly’s lawyers told the court that the film infringed his personality rights and that no licence had been obtained for the use of his identity. They argued that he was presented as a “pseudo hero” in a film that was not about him. They also informed the court that footage of Sourav Ganguly accounted for nearly a third of the trailer. They cited an interview in which the film’s director, Abhinay Deo, spoke about Ganguly.
Sourav Ganguly’s lawyers informed the court that an agreement dated August 5, 2021 gave Luv Films exclusive rights to make a biopic on the cricketer. The biopic, titled Dada – The Sourav Ganguly Story, is scheduled to release on May 14, 2027. Luv Films told the court that it had invested heavily in the biopic.