The producer felt forced to pay.
Firoz Nadiadwala has filed a copyright infringement case against a company for using his classic comedy Hera Pheri without permission.
He filed the formal complaint at the Amboli police station located in the western city of Mumbai.
Nadiadwala claims that a group of people colluded to steal his legal rights for the film remake.
He alleged that these individuals are attempting to extort crores of rupees from his professional business.
The producer believes these specific parties are targeting his reputation.
The police have now registered a case against Gopala Pillai Vijaykumar and also M Paul Michael.
An investigation is currently underway to determine the validity of these very serious fraud allegations.
This legal dispute centres on the iconic 2000 film, which was based on Ramji Rao Speaking.
Nadiadwala explained that he bought the Hindi language remake rights for Rs 4.5 lakh back in 2000.
The purchase was made from Suresh Kumar Singhal of the company M/s Compact Disc India Limited.
This agreement was signed long ago for the purpose of obtaining various language remake rights.
The contract included Hindi but excluded any versions produced in the various South Indian languages.
Nadiadwala described a very stressful situation that occurred just before the initial theatrical film release.
He said: “At that time, a huge investment had been made in the film, hence, due to fear of defamation and loss, I had to make the payment under pressure, even though the court had given a stay order in my favour.”
This incident took place only seven days before the movie first premiered in cinemas nationwide.
The producer felt forced to pay despite having a specific court stay order in his favour.
He feared that any delay would lead to massive financial losses and significant public defamation.
The legal battle has now resurfaced over two decades after the original movie was first made.
The producer alleges that Siddique KL and M Paul Michael sold the rights twice to other people.
They reportedly sold the rights to Gopala Pillai Vijaykumar in May 2022.
This transaction was allegedly completed for a sum of approximately Rs 3 lakh to Seven Arts.
Nadiadwala claims these parties knew the rights had already been sold to him years ago.
He received a surprising legal notice in December 2024 regarding his 2006 film sequel.
The notice declared that the movie Phir Hera Pheri was actually an illegal and unauthorised production.
The parties involved demanded Rs 60 lakh to settle this new and unexpected legal dispute.
They also requested a 25 percent share of the total profits from that film.
Nadiadwala stated that these individuals are now actively obstructing his company’s public listing process.
He believes the group is spreading false news about the famous lead actors of the film.
This includes misusing the famous names of Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty and Paresh Rawal.
The producer is concerned that this misinformation is harming his professional standing in the film industry.
Mumbai police are currently investigating the case under several different sections of the Indian Penal Code.
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