The high-stakes legal battle surrounding the upcoming blockbuster Dhurandhar: The Revenge has taken a significant turn in the courtroom. The Bombay High Court officially disposed of the defamation suit filed by National Award-winning filmmaker Aditya Dhar after the defendant, Santosh Kumar, tendered a formal apology for his public remarks regarding plagiarism.
While this development brings immediate relief to Dhar, the underlying conflict regarding the film’s creative origins remains a point of contention. The court clarified that while the defamation matter is closed, the door remains open for a separate legal battle over script ownership.
The controversy erupted in March 2026 when Santosh Kumar made explosive allegations against Aditya Dhar during a publicized press conference. Kumar claimed that the storyline for Dhar’s magnum opus, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, bore a striking resemblance to his own script titled D-Saheb.
To bolster his claims, Kumar stated that he had officially registered his script with the Screenwriters Association (SWA) as early as 2023. These public accusations prompted Dhar to move the High Court, arguing that the remarks were not only baseless but were also calculated to cause irreparable harm to his professional standing and the film’s market value.
A single-judge bench, presided over by Justice Arif Doctor, heard the matter. During the proceedings, the tone of the dispute shifted significantly when Santosh Kumar expressed his willingness to retract his statements.
Ultimately, the court closed the case after Kumar issued an unconditional apology in open court. Following this formal retraction, Aditya Dhar withdrew his plea for financial damages, signalling a temporary truce in the legal warfare that has shadowed the film’s production.
While the defamation suit is now a closed chapter, the Bombay High Court made a critical distinction in its final order. The court clarified that the disposal of the defamation case does not prevent Santosh Kumar from pursuing his claims regarding the script’s intellectual property.
“The court clarified that Kumar retains the right to initiate separate legal action regarding his claim over the script.”
This means that while Kumar can no longer publicly label Dhar a “plagiarist” without legal basis, he still has the right to file a proper copyright infringement suit to determine the actual authorship of the narrative.
For Aditya Dhar, who has built a reputation for high-integrity storytelling, this legal win is a matter of principle. His legal team argued throughout the proceedings that unauthorized public allegations serve as a form of “trial by media” that can derail massive investments. The withdrawal of the damages plea suggests that Dhar’s primary goal was the restoration of his reputation rather than monetary gain.
The Bombay High Court’s decision to close the defamation suit provides a much-needed clear runway for Dhurandhar: The Revenge. By securing an unconditional apology, Aditya Dhar has effectively countered the narrative of plagiarism that threatened to overshadow the film’s upcoming promotional cycle.
However, with the court allowing for future legal actions regarding the script itself, the industry remains watchful. The battle of Dhurandhar vs. D-Saheb may move from a press conference podium to a copyright tribunal in the coming months.
