'Phillauri'
Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; March 23, 2017)

With just three days left for its release, Anushka Sharma’s Phillauri found itself in legal wrangle as Bhojpuri actor-producer filed a copyright infringement case against the rom-com in the Bombay High Court. The court, however, did not entertain the complainant, Dashrath Rathod, and, in fact, slapped a penalty of Rs 5 lakh for the last-minute move.

In a declaration suit, Rathod claimed Phillauri is a copy of his 2013 trilingual film, Mangal Phera, and also demanded a stay on its release. A source informed, “The court did not find any prima facie case and dismissed Rathod’s call for a stay. He has now filed an appeal against the order.”

Advocate Nagesh Mishra, who appeared for Rathod, said, “We feel it [the order] is not justified. Once we get a copy of the order in hand, we will appeal to the court for a hearing.”

Lawyers Bhavik Patel and Kiran Desai, who are representing the Phillauri makers, refused to comment on the case. The film is Anushka’s second production venture after NH10 (2015), and stars Diljit Dosanjh, Suraj Sharma and her in lead roles.