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A legal dispute has been brewing between the makers of the Hindi remake Bholaa starring Ajay Devgn and Tabu and the Tamil production house Dream Warrior Pictures who produced Karthi starrer Kaithi. The latter has approached the Bombay High Court, alleging infringement of copyright and remake rights linked to its original film Kaithi.
Kaithi vs Bholaa Row: Dream Warrior Pictures moves Bombay High Court over alleged copyright violation
The matter was heard by a single-judge bench led by Justice Sharmila Deshmukh, who has currently reserved her decision on a preliminary issue—whether the Bombay High Court has the authority to listen to the case. The producers of Bholaa have challenged the court’s jurisdiction, arguing that the dispute ought to be addressed elsewhere.
In line with Dream Warrior Pictures, it produced and released Kaithi in October 2019 and retains complete ownership over the film’s mental property, including remake rights. The corporate stated that it later entered into multiple agreements regarding the Hindi adaptation, starting with a collaboration involving a Reliance Group entity in early 2020.
A key agreement was signed on March 29, 2023, between Dream Warrior and Reliance Entertainment Studios, granting rights for the Hindi remake titled Bholaa. Under this deal, Dream Warrior claims it was to receive a hard and fast fee in instalments, together with additional earnings tied to the film’s performance. Nevertheless, it alleges that only an initial payment of Rs.1 crore plus GST was made in April 2022.
The Hindi remake, starring Ajay Devgn, was released globally on March 30, 2023. Shortly after, on April 1, 2023, a second agreement was executed between Dream Warrior, Reliance, and Ajay Devgn Ffilms LLP. This arrangement reportedly granted all three parties joint ownership of remake rights, while leaving exploitation rights with Reliance.
Dream Warrior has claimed that subsequent payments due in April and May 2023 were never cleared. After repeated follow-ups over the following two years allegedly went unanswered, the corporate issued a legal notice in October 2024 demanding Rs. 4 crore together with interest. It also warned that failure to pay inside 30 days would result in termination of the agreement and restoration of all rights.
Following the lapse of this deadline in November 2024, Dream Warrior maintains that the agreement stood cancelled and that each one rights related to Bholaa reverted to it.
In parallel, the production house had earlier approached the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) in Mumbai, looking for insolvency proceedings against Reliance Entertainment over unpaid dues. Nevertheless, the tribunal dismissed the plea in August 2025, stating that the dispute didn’t qualify as an operational debt matter and will as a substitute be resolved through civil proceedings.
Subsequently, Dream Warrior filed the current business mental property suit on March 22, 2026. It has sought a court order to restrain Reliance and Ajay Devgn Ffilms from distributing, streaming, or monetising Bholaa. The plea also seeks a proper declaration that the agreements stand terminated, together with compensation based on revenues earned from the film and its associated content.
The case also names several downstream platforms, including Amazon Prime Video, Zee Entertainment Enterprises, and T-Series, alleging that any streaming of the film after November 27, 2024 is unauthorised and amounts to wrongful gain.
Through the hearing, the defendants argued that the first agreement between the parties clearly specifies that courts in Chennai alone would have jurisdiction. They contended that the case can’t be brought before the Bombay High Court based on a secondary agreement.
After considering submissions from each side, the court has reserved its order on the query of jurisdiction.
Also Read: Ajay Devgn starrer Bholaa gets its world television premiere on Zee Cinema
More Pages: Bholaa Box Office Collection , Bholaa Movie Review
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