Makers of 'Maidaan' to appeal before Karnataka High Court after Mysore court stays the movie's release over plagiarism row

The Ajay Devgn-starrer 'Maidaan' makers will appeal before Karnataka HC after Mysore court stays the movie's release over plagiarism row.

Makers of 'Maidaan' have decided to appeal before Karnataka High Court over the Mysore court's decision to stay the release of Ajay Devgn starrer today (April 11).

Amit Sharma directed 'Maidaan' starring Ajay Devgn, Gajraj Rao and Priyamani in the lead roles has hit the theatres today.  A writer based out of Mysore, Anil Kumar, had filed a case in the Mysore sessions court after which the stay was ordered.

Anil Kumar mentioned on his LinkedIn account that he had originally started writing this story in 2010 and in 2018, he had also released a poster about the same. He has alleged that the film, which is a sports biopic, is plagiarised from his script.

He 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."

'Maidaan' has been produced by Boney Kapoor and Zee Studios.

He further wrote: “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."

The Mysore court has ordered a stay on the film's release but it has already hit the screens. Now, the next hearing is on April 24.

Boney Kapoor’s Bay View Projects LLP, has released a statement today. The statement read that since they had received the court order after the film's release,  it's “infructuous under law.” The statement further said that they are going to appeal against the order in Karnataka High Court.

Read the statement here:

"Dear all, 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. 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."

'Maidaan' starring Ajay Devgn is based on the life of Syed Abdul Rahim also known as Rahim Saab, who was known as the architect of Indian football. He devoted his life to football and his tenure as a coach was known as the 'golden era' of football in the country.