When actors 'courted' controversy with industry colleagues

Shruti Haasan was recently dragged to court by a Telugu filmmaker for alleged breach of contract. We recall a few other instances when film folk faced legal action from members of fraternity

Celebrities often find themselves on the wrong side of the law and are hauled to court for off-the-set misadventures. But there have also been instances of film folk facing legal action from their ilk for issues ranging from non-payment of dues to non-fulfilment of contractual obligations. Though there are film associations to tackle the complaints, many a time things spiral out of control, forcing a filmmaker or actor to move court.

Shruti Haasan finds herself caught up in legal wrangles for allegedly reneging on contractual obligations and pulling out of a South film. A case of cheating was registered against the actress after she walked out of the Telugu remake of French film, The Intouchables, citing date problems. The film directed by Vamsi Paidipally stars Nagarjuna and Karthi. The makers even sought an interim ban on Shruti signing or acting in any film.

Meanwhile, Shruti, who has a busy year with three Bollywood films Gabbar Is Back, Welcome Back and Yaara, filed a defamation case against the production house. On Monday, however, the case was dismissed as the production house withdrew its charges.

Shruti’s spokesperson states, “The case filed by Picture House Media Ltd against Shruti Haasan was dismissed at the Hyderabad District Court and the producers withdrew the case themselves. Shruti is thankful for the intervention of the South Indian Film Artists Association (SIAA) on the matter as the lawyer sided with her cause, due to the harassment meted out to her. Thanks to the support of the industry bodies, she has also decided to withdraw the defamation claim against the producers for misrepresentation and revealing misleading facts to the media.”

Sharman Joshi invited the wrath of the producers of 3 Bachelors after he criticised them for releasing the stuck-in-the-cans film. He claimed that the makers were trying to piggyback on the success of his film, Ferrari Ki Sawaari

hitlist rewinds to past instances when actors were embroiled in legal controversies allegedly for rubbing film folk the wrong way...

Past peeve
In 2012, Sharman Joshi found himself in hot waters when producers of 3 Bachelors decided to take legal action against him for his comments on the film. The actor had lashed out at the producers, claiming that they were releasing his stuck-in-the-cans project as they wanted to piggyback on the success of his film, Ferrari Ki Sawaari. The film’s producers Pramod Sharma and Manoj Rastogi sent him a legal notice, but when he didn’t respond, they filed a petition in court. The actor along with co-stars Raima Sen and Riya Sen also refused to promote the film, which tanked at the box office.

Ajay Devgn’s production house filed a case against Yash Raj Films (YRF) in 2012 for allegedly using their influence to block more screens for Shah rukh Khan-starrer Jab Tak Hai Jaan, which was competing with his Son of Sardaar

Screen grabs
Ajay Devgn’s production house filed a case against Yash Raj Films (YRF) for alleged abuse of dominant position — apparently restricting the exhibitors from providing more screens to his Diwali release Son of Sardaar (2012) than the latter’s film, Jab Tak Hai Jaan starring Shah Rukh Khan. However, the actor lost the case in the Competition Commission of India as the body didn’t find any merit in the allegations or any violation of the Competition Act.

Don’t take names
It is well known that Ram Gopal Varma is a huge fan of Sridevi’s and idolises her. When the filmmaker decided to use her name as the title for his controversial film on adolescent sexual fantasies, the veteran actress was hardly amused. Her
filmmaker-husband Boney Kapoor filed a case against RGV for using her name inappropriately. She also accused RGV of violation of personality rights while Kapoor was quoted saying that the director’s move showed “a perverse mind and an absolute bankruptcy of ideas”.

Salman Khan had registered a case against Vijay Galani, the producer of his 2010 film Veer, for not paying him his remuneration of Rs 15 crore

Moolah matters
Salman Khan had registered a case against Vijay Galani, the producer of his 2010 film Veer, for not paying him his
remuneration of Rs 15 crore. The star had approached the Federation of Western India Cine Employees, which declared Galani guilty and banned him from filmmaking until he settled the dues. Galani then moved court to seek justice and later met Salman’s father, Salim Khan, and reportedly requested for leeway due to financial stress on his part. “I have told Galani that when his financial situation improves in future, he can always come back and pay up,” Sr Khan was quoted as saying.

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