Mysuru court stays the release of Ajay Devgn starrer Maidaan; Zee Studios and Boney Kapoor issue statement

Based on the real-life story of renowned football coach Syed Abdul Rahim, Maidaan was one of the most highly-anticipated films of the year. However, the Ajay Devgn starrer has landed itself in trouble after the release of the film was stayed by the Mysuru court over alleged plagiarism charges. A Kannada scriptwriter named Anil Kumar took to social media to claim that he had written the script of the film and did not get any credit for the same.In his version of the story, Kumar explained that he had submitted a copy of the script to Sukhdas Suryavanshi, who incidentally is the assistant director of Maidaan. Opening up about the same, Anil Kumar wrote on Linkedin, “In 2010, I started writing the story and in 2018, I posted a poster about this, and I got in contact with ad director Sukhdas Suryavanshi through my LinkedIn post. He called me to Bombay (Mumbai) and asked me to get the script. I have the whole chat history. He told me that he’d make me meet Aamir Khan, but I couldn’t meet him for certain reasons. I gave him the story and registered the same with the Screen writers Association”. He went on to add, “Recently, I heard that a movie named Maidaan is getting released. I was surprised because even I have the same story. When I looked at the teaser and their statements, I got to know that it was my story. They have twisted the main story itself and made this movie. I named the story Paadakanduka.”Followed by this, certain reports stated that Kumar moved the districts and sessions court in Mysuru, followed by which they decided to stay the release of the film. However, in a statement issued by producers of the film, Zee Studios and Boney Kapoor’s Bayview Projects LLP, they have asserted that the order was passed without hearing their side of the story. They shared this statement on social media which read, “We have just been served the copy of the Order of the District Judge restraining the release of the film. At the outset, we would like to place on record that the said order passed by the District Judge is an ex-parte order, without giving us an opportunity of being heard.”They went on to write, “We were not served any notice prior to the filing of the said suit or hearing of the matter. Additionally, the said order has been passed after the release of the film and therefore, any such order passed that retrains the release of the film is infructuous under law. However, we are filing an appeal against the order before the Hon’ble High Court of Karnataka. We shall move the matter before the Hon’ble High Court for urgent reliefs in order to stay the operation of the said order. Without prejudice to the aforesaid, we are taking all the steps as we have been legally advised, kindly be assured that the release of the film can continue. We shall update you regarding the further developments regarding this, once we move the matter before the Hon’ble High Court.”@ZeeStudios_ pic.twitter.com/2C8EThwhSa
— BayViewProjectsLLP (@BayViewProjOffl) April 10, 2024Set against the backdrop of the early 1950s to 1960s, Maidaan traces the challenges, sacrifices, and triumphant moments of both Rahim and the Indian football team as they strive to etch their names on the global stage. The film released in theatres on April 10.Also Read: Trade experts predict the first-day numbers of Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Maidaan; feel BMCM can cross the Rs. 20 crore mark while Maidaan can have a double-digit opening