Maidaan: Ajay's Film Faces Legal Trouble Over Plagiarism Allegations; Mysore Court Orders Stay On Release

Mysore, India - Ajay Devgn's much-anticipated film "Maidaan," set to premiere on April 11, has encountered a significant legal setback. A Mysore court has issued an injunction to halt the movie's release over a plagiarism accusation. The claim comes from Anil Kumar, a scriptwriter from Karnataka, who alleges that his script has been unlawly copied.

The principal district and session court in Mysore took action after Anil Kumar filed a complaint. Kumar claims to have penned a script in 2010 about the Indian football team's exclusion from the FIFA World Cup in 1950. He registered this script under the title "Paadanduka" with the Screen Writers Association in Mumbai and shared details on his LinkedIn.

Anil's contention hinges on his interactions with Sukhdas Suryavanshi, the assistant director of "Maidaan." According to Kumar, they discussed the script in 2019, with promises made for a meeting with Aamir Khan to produce the film, which never materialized. "I have the entire chat history. He told me 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," Kumar stated.

Upon discovering the trailer and filmmaker statements about "Maidaan," Kumar felt his story was being used without his permission. "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," Kumar added.

With his lawyer, Iyanna, Kumar sought a permanent injunction against the film's release, leading to the court's order on April 8. The directive specifically targets Zee Studios, producer Boney Kapoor, and the film's direction team, including Amit Sharma and Sukhdas Suryavanshi, to halt the movie's debut.

"The Mysore principal district and session court has stayed the release of the 'Maidaan' movie starring Ajay Devgn, produced by Zee studios and Boney Kapoor, which was supposed to be released on April 11. The complaint was filed by story writer Anil Kumar. The story which was registered at Screen Writers Association is being misused and being released by Zee studios and the court has ordered to halt the release," said Iyanna.

Anil Kumar has sent the court order notice to the concerned parties, and the next hearing is scheduled for April 24. This development places the film's future in uncertainty, with the legal proceedings expected to reveal more about the case's specifics.