Film-maker Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzaarish is in a soup. Akhil Rajendra Dwivedi, a scriptwriter, has sued Bhansali for Rs. 2 crore, alleging that the director used his script for the film without informing him.

Dwivedi, who had registered his script in 2005, says, “I met Bhansali in 2008 with my script. I was looking for a director-producer for it. He said he loved the script and would call me in two weeks. He didn’t revert, and when I called his assistant, I was told that he had found another subject to work on. (But) I was stunned when I saw Guzaarish and the similarities it had with my script. I SMSed Bhansali, who called me back and said he had not taken inspiration from my script. He told me, ‘Tumhari script pe film banani hoti toh main khareed leta.’ I messaged again, saying he should at least give me due credit, but he did not reply. I want to get him punished; I have sued him for Rs. 2 crore.” A copy of the legal notice is with HT City.

Meanwhile, despite a star cast of Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, the film tanked at the box office. Pegging the first three days’ earnings at Rs. 13 crore, trade veteran Amod Mehra says, “It is a poor opening for a Rs. 80 crore film.”

“During the opening weekend, the occupancy was 45-50%. The movie is not for the masses,” says Satyender Bannerjee of Satyam Cineplex. “The opening weekend was not great. We have planned to cut down on some shows,” says Yogesh Raizada of Wave Cinemas.