Former Indian cricketer and captain Sourav Ganguly on moved to court to stay the release of the upcoming film Doosra on October 23. He had filed the case over a violation of his personality rights. However, the Delhi High Court on Thursday refused to stay the release of the film.
Speaking to us, Madhu Gadodia, deputy managing partner of Naik Naik and company, the legal firm representing producer Masjda Sajeh and director Abhinay Deo told us, "The film, Doosra is in theatres and is not a biopic on Sourav Ganguly. The film tells the fictional story of Tara, a woman who challenges societal norms. The film is not based on and does not infringe any rights of Mr. Ganguly. All match footage used in the film has been duly licensed with appropriate permissions. The Delhi High Court, upon hearing the matter yesterday, was not inclined to stay the film’s release. We will continue to defend the proceedings before the Court."
What led to the case
Ganguly and Luv Films (who are making a biopic on Ganguly with Rajkummar Rao) argued that Doosra unlawfully exploits his identity and iconic career moments without consent, conflicting with their authorized biopic scheduled for May 2027. The plea specifically targeted the commercial use of his 2002 NatWest Series captaincy and his famous shirtless celebration on the Lord's balcony, arguing these are used strictly to drive ticket sales. Luv Films joined the suit based on an August 5, 2021 contract granting them exclusive global audiovisual rights to exploit Ganguly’s life story.