New Delhi: The Delhi High Court asked Tuesday the producers of various proposed and upcoming films on the life of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput to respond to a plea by his father. In the plea Krishna Kishore Singh has sought to restrain anyone from using Sushant Singh Rajput’s name or likeness in movies. Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri issued notice to the filmmakers and sought their stand by May 24 plea.
Some of the upcoming or proposed movie projects, based on Sushant’s life, mentioned in the plea, are Nyay: The Justice, Suicide or Murder: A star was lost, Shashank and an unnamed crowd-funded film.
The pleas has been filed through advocates Akshay Dev, Varun Singh, Abhijeet Pandey and Samruddhi Bendbhar,Nyay is scheduled to be released in June, while shooting has commenced with regard to Suicide or Murder: A star was lost and Shashank.
“The defendants (filmmakers), taking advantage of this situation, have been trying to encash this opportunity for ulterior motives. Thus, Plaintiff (Krishna) has apprehension that various plays, movies, web-series, books, interviews or other material may be published which would harm the reputation of the son of the plaintiff and his family,” claimed the suit. It has sought damages of over Rs 2 crore from the filmmakers for ‘loss of reputation, mental trauma and harassment’ to Sushant’s family.
The plea also claimed that in case a ‘movie, web-series, book or any other content of similar nature is allowed to be published or broadcasted, it would affect the right of the victim and deceased for a free and fair trial as it may cause prejudice to them’.
The suit has also contended that Sushant being a well-known celebrity, ‘any misuse of his name/ image/ caricature/ style of delivering dialogues also amounts to infringement of the personality right vested with the plaintiff besides amounting to acts of passing off’. “The said right would be available to the plaintiff after his son’s death as he is the only legal heir of Sushant Singh Rajput,” it has further contended.
Sushant died by suicide, June 14 last year. His body was recovered from his Mumbai-based flat. His death is now being probed by the CBI after orders from the Supreme Court.