The Bombay High Court has officially brought an end to the intense legal battle between filmmaker Aditya Dhar and Santosh Kumar after a formal apology was issued in the courtroom. This long-standing dispute reached a resolution when Santosh Kumar expressed regret for his public remarks where he had labeled the *Dhurandhar* director a “thief” and accused him of stealing the script for his blockbuster sequel. The single-judge bench, presided over by Justice Arif Doctor, noted that since an unconditional apology had been tendered and accepted, there was no further need to continue the defamation proceedings. Aditya Dhar’s legal team informed the court that in light of this apology, they would not be pursuing the claim for damages, leading to the case being disposed of immediately.
The controversy originally erupted following the massive success of Dhurandhar: The Revenge, which had been dominating the box office and breaking numerous records globally. Santosh Kumar had held a press conference claiming that the plot of the film was a direct copy of his own registered script titled D Saheb, asserting that he had previously pitched the concept to major production houses. These public allegations prompted Aditya Dhar to approach the High Court, seeking a permanent injunction to protect his reputation from what he described as baseless and malicious attacks. While the defamation suit is now closed, the court has clarified that Santosh Kumar still maintains the legal right to pursue a separate copyright or plagiarism claim regarding the script itself if he chooses to do so through the proper legal channels.
Throughout the hearings, the court had encouraged both filmmakers to find an amicable solution rather than engaging in prolonged litigation that could further damage their professional standing. Although there was initial resistance to a formal apology, the final session saw a change of heart that allowed both parties to move forward without the weight of a defamation trial. For now, the closure of this case provides a significant reprieve for Aditya Dhar, allowing the focus to return to the historic commercial achievements of his film franchise. The industry has been watching this case closely as a precedent for how plagiarism allegations and public character attacks are handled between creative professionals in the digital age.
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