Top News

A case of alleged fraud and forgery has emerged from the film industry in Mumbai, with the makers of the popular comedy film Dhamaal accused of cheating a film distribution company of Rs 1.5 crore in the name of selling the film’s distribution, digital and copyright rights.

Mumbai’s Amboli Police registered a case on August 17, 2026, against film producer Ashok Navalkumar Thakariya and director Indra Kumar and launched an investigation.

What Is The Case All About?

The case was registered following a complaint by 53-year-old Vikas Baldevraj Sahni, the owner of Andheri West-based film distribution company Grand Master.

According to the complaint, Maruti International, a company associated with the accused, allegedly committed fraud in connection with the rights to Dhamaal. Grand Master and Maruti International entered into an agreement on October 15, 2019. Under the deal, Grand Master allegedly purchased the worldwide distribution rights, digital rights and copyrights of Dhamaal for Rs 1.5 crore.

Old Video Of Sunny Deol, Ravi Kishan Endorsing Pan Masala Goes Viral; Internet Calls Out ‘Dogalapan’

It has been alleged that, at the time of the agreement, Grand Master was assured that the film’s rights had not been sold to any other company or third party. However, it was later allegedly discovered that the lifetime OTT and digital rights of the film had already been granted to Shemaroo Entertainment Limited in 2015.

The complaint further alleges that after this came to light, the accused presented an allegedly forged agreement and entered into a revised deal with Shemaroo in October 2020, allegedly affecting Grand Master’s rights.

The complainant has submitted several documents to the police in support of his claim over the film’s rights.

According to the complaint, the dispute over the rights led to the cancellation of several business deals Grand Master had with digital platforms, resulting in losses worth crores of rupees.

The complainant allegedly sent a legal notice to the accused on January 2, 2023. After reportedly receiving no satisfactory response, he approached the police.

Producer, Director Booked

The Amboli Police have now registered a case against producer Ashok Navalkumar Thakariya and director Indra Kumar. The police are examining the agreements, copyright documents, digital rights and other related records. The allegations will be verified following the completion of the investigation.

About ‘Dhamaal 4’

Dhamaal 4, a comedy adventure film starring Ajay Devgn, Arshad Warsi, Riteish Deshmukh, Jaaved Jaaferi, Ravi Kishan, Sanjay Mishra, Upendra Limaye, Anjali Anand, Sanjeeda Sheikh and Esha Gupta, was released on July 10. The Indra Kumar directorial was made on an estimated budget of Rs 200 crore and has minted Rs 229.88 crore worldwide, according to data available on Sacnilk. The film will start streaming on Netflix from September this year.