Bhansali Productions moves Bombay HC to restrain Eros International from exploiting rights of Bajirao Mastani

Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s production house has approached the Bombay high court (HC), seeking separate restraining orders against production and distribution

Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s production house has approached the Bombay high court (HC), seeking separate restraining orders against production and distribution company Eros International Media Ltd from exploiting the rights of the 2015 film Bajirao Mastani and 2013 film Goliyon ki Rasleela Ram-Leela. The move comes after HC directed Eros International to pay Bhansali Productions the amounts due for the Ram-Leela movie within three weeks on May 4.

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On Tuesday, when both petitions came up for hearing, the court held that as a substantial question of law was involved and the petitions needed to be heard extensively, it was adjourning the cases and would hear them on June 30.

The bench of justice BP Colabawalla, while hearing the petitions, was informed by senior counsel Zal Andhyarujina and advocates Nausher Kohli and Parag Khandhar, that Bhansali Productions was challenging the intimation filed by Eros International with the Bombay Stock Exchange, that it was going into an all-share merger with its parent company Eros International PLC and Hollywood’s STX Filmworks.

Bhansali’s advocates said that as neither Eros International PLC nor STX Filmworks was party to the co-production agreement between Bhansali Productions and Eros International Limited, they could not claim or exploit the rights of films made by the two together. Advocate Akshay Patil for Eros International, however, opposed the petition.

In the earlier hearing on May 4, the bench of justice Colabawalla had observed that as the respondent companies are situated in the British Isles and California, it would require a detailed hearing to consider the law on whether reliefs could be granted against entities beyond the court’s jurisdiction. “I do not think that a case for ad-interim reliefs is made out at this stage, considering that the court is hearing only extremely urgent matters due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” said justice Colabawalla while directing Eros International Media to pay dues of ₹19.39 lakh to Bhansali Productions, related to the co-production agreement between the two.