The Delhi High Court has ruled that the film Doosra infringed upon former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly’s personality and publicity rights. In its directions, the Court has ordered the film's makers, Ramesh Deo Productions Private Limited, to deposit Rs. 2 crore and display disclaimers in both Hindi and English at the beginning and end of the film.
The ruling comes in connection with a lawsuit filed by Sourav Ganguly along with Luv Films over the unauthorised use of his identity and life events in the film. The Court has also restrained the makers from releasing Doosra on OTT platforms or through any other medium.
According to the Court's observations, elements of Ganguly's personality and incidents from his life are closely connected to the film's narrative. This makes it difficult to remove the portions in question from the final cut. The Court, therefore, directed the makers to include prominent disclaimers to clarify the nature of the film's association with the former cricketer.
The disclaimers must explicitly state that Ganguly did not give consent for the commercial use or depiction of his persona in the film. They must also clarify that the project does not have any official association or authorisation from him. Sourav Ganguly's personality rights case and the upcoming biopic The ruling brings attention to the legal issues surrounding the use of public figures' identities and personal histories in films and other commercial projects. Personality rights generally protect individuals against the unauthorised commercial exploitation of aspects such as their name, image and likeness.
Meanwhile, Sourav Ganguly's authorised biographical film, Dada: The Sourav Ganguly Story, is also in the works. Directed by Vikramaditya Motwane and produced by Luv Ranjan and Ankur Garg, the project is scheduled for release on May 14, 2026.
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