Sourav Ganguly has been fighting a legal battle over the film Doosra: India’s Other Freedom Struggle for weeks. On Friday, November 6, 2026, the Delhi High Court delivered its interim order. The court found that the film’s makers prima facie violated Ganguly’s personality and publicity rights. The film can keep playing in theatres, but the makers now have to follow strict conditions: add a clear disclaimer and deposit a ₹2 crore bank guarantee with the court.
The order was passed by Justice Tejas Karia on a lawsuit filed by Ganguly and Luv Films LLP. Luv Films is the production house behind Ganguly’s authorised biopic, Dada – The Sourav Ganguly Story. The case is not just about a film using a cricketer’s name. It is about who gets to control a public figure’s life story, and what happens when two films about the same person are headed for the same audience.
What the Court Ordered the Doosra Makers to Do
The Delhi High Court did not stop the film from running in cinemas. The film had already released on October 23, 2026, and the court noted that the balance of convenience did not favour pulling it down at this stage.
The court imposed two clear conditions on Ramesh Deo Productions Private Limited, the maker of Doosra:
- Disclaimer in Hindi and English: The film must carry a prominently worded disclaimer in both languages. The disclaimer must run for five seconds at the beginning of the film and two seconds at the end. It must state clearly that the film is not intended to violate Ganguly’s personality rights, and that the use of his name does not mean he has acknowledged or consented to the film. The court said this must be done within two days of the order.
- ₹2 crore bank guarantee: The makers must furnish an unconditional bank guarantee of ₹2 crore with the court’s registrar within two weeks.
“In the prima facie view of this Court, the defendants have commercially exploited the personality rights of Plaintiff No. 1 by unauthorised use of Plaintiff No. 1’s identity and persona.”
— Justice Tejas Karia, Delhi High Court
The court also warned that failing to meet either condition would automatically trigger an injunction. The makers would be stopped from exhibiting, distributing, streaming, or monetising the film across all platforms and territories while the suit is pending. They would also be barred from using promotional material that commercially uses Ganguly’s identity and persona.
Why Ganguly and Luv Films Went to Court
The lawsuit was filed by Sourav Ganguly and Luv Films LLP. The production house signed an agreement with Ganguly on August 5, 2021, giving it exclusive rights to develop, produce, and commercially exploit audiovisual content based on his life and cricketing career. That includes a biographical film. Luv Films says it invested heavily in Dada – The Sourav Ganguly Story, which is scheduled for release on May 14, 2027.
The problem started when Luv Films and Ganguly came across the trailer and promotional campaign of Doosra. The trailer was launched on October 12, 2026. It leaned heavily on Ganguly’s leadership of the Indian cricket team and India’s historic win in the 2002 NatWest Series final at Lord’s. The promotional material included references to his famous shirtless celebration on the Lord’s balcony. The suit alleged that these references were being used to generate commercial interest by capitalising on Ganguly’s identity and reputation. The plaintiffs argued that the film created the impression that Ganguly was associated with or had endorsed Doosra.
The plaintiffs’ counsel told the court: “It is all about Sourav Ganguly’s life. His image has been badly exploited without consent… After intermission, it is all about the (2002) NatWest match.”
What the Doosra Makers Said in Their Defence
The makers of Doosra have maintained from the start that the film is not a biopic of Ganguly. Their defence is that Doosra tells the fictional story of Tara, a middle-class girl from Rajasthan who finds inspiration in Ganguly’s cricketing achievements. Abhinay Deo, the director of Doosra, said in interviews that the film uses Ganguly’s iconic 2002 Lord’s celebration as a thematic anchor for a story about personal freedom and defiance, not as a retelling of the cricketer’s life.
The makers also argued that they obtained the necessary permissions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for the footage used from the 2002 NatWest Series. Their legal team contended that Ganguly’s personality rights do not give him ownership over cricket match footage.
The court considered whether the objectionable scenes could simply be deleted. It found that this was not workable. Ganguly’s personality and publicity rights were so intertwined with the film’s story that removing the infringing portions would require restructuring the entire film. The court said such a step was “not permissible by judicial direction.”
The Legal Fight Over Personality Rights
This case sits at the intersection of two legal ideas: personality rights and contractual rights.
Personality rights—also called publicity rights—give a person control over the commercial use of their name, image, likeness, and persona. The Delhi High Court found that Doosra used Ganguly’s identity not just to show historical events, but as part of the film’s fictional narrative and promotional material. The court said this use “generated commercial interest in the film,” which amounted to unauthorised commercial exploitation of his personality, publicity, identity, likeness, reputation, and goodwill.
“The prejudice arising from such exploitation has not only resulted in a damage to the personality of Plaintiff No. 1 but also impaired his ability to determine whether and in what manner his identity and persona may be commercially used.”
— Justice Tejas Karia, Delhi High Court
Contractual rights come into play because of the 2021 agreement between Ganguly and Luv Films. The production house argued that Doosra interfered with the exclusive rights it had acquired to make an authorised biopic. The court asked Luv Films to submit the manuscript of Dada in a sealed envelope and explain how Doosra was violating its contractual rights.
The court described the dispute in its own words during an earlier hearing: “This is a movie versus movie. And rights versus rights. We will have to see whose rights are more infringed and we can pass appropriate directions.”
A Timeline of How the Case Unfolded
The legal fight moved quickly through the Delhi High Court:
- August 5, 2021: Ganguly signs an agreement with Luv Films granting exclusive rights to develop a biographical film based on his life and career.
- October 12, 2026: The trailer and promotional campaign for Doosra are launched, prominently featuring Ganguly’s leadership and the 2002 NatWest final.
- October 13, 2026: Doosra director Abhinay Deo gives an interview discussing how the 2002 NatWest final and milestones in Ganguly’s career influenced the film’s fictional character, Tara.
- October 22, 2026: The Delhi High Court declines to stay the theatrical release of Doosra.
- October 23, 2026: Doosra: India’s Other Freedom Struggle releases in theatres.
- October 29, 2026: The court asks Ganguly to identify the specific objectionable scenes with timestamps and reasons. The court also directs the filmmakers to submit a pen drive containing the film.
- November 6, 2026: The court passes the interim order, finding prima facie violation of Ganguly’s personality rights. The makers are ordered to add a disclaimer and furnish a ₹2 crore bank guarantee.
The court clarified that its observations are confined to the interim application and do not amount to a final opinion on the merits of the suit. The case will continue.
What This Means for Doosra and Dada
Doosra: India’s Other Freedom Struggle is a sports drama directed by Abhinay Deo. It stars Plabita Borthakur, Ankur Vikal, and Samidha Guru. The film is currently running in theatres. Its digital and streaming release has not been announced. The makers now have to add the disclaimer within two days and deposit the bank guarantee within two weeks. If they fail, the film will be pulled from all platforms.
Dada – The Sourav Ganguly Story is the authorised biopic produced by Luv Films. It is scheduled for release on May 14, 2027. The film stars Rajkummar Rao in the lead role. The lawsuit filed by Ganguly and Luv Films was partly about protecting the production house’s investment in that project.
Sourav Ganguly has not made a public statement about the November 6 order. Luv Films has also not commented beyond what was submitted in court. Ramesh Deo Productions, the maker of Doosra, has not issued a public response to the order.
You May Also Like
The Delhi High Court’s order is interim. The case will continue, and both sides will have the chance to present their full arguments. For now, Doosra stays in theatres—with a disclaimer, and with ₹2 crore sitting with the court.
Also Read: How Rajkummar Rao’s Sourav Ganguly Biopic Led to Leicestershire Cricket Club Facing Relegation
For clear, fact-checked entertainment and legal news, keep reading VvipTimes.
Leave a Reply