New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday sought the response of the makers of the upcoming film Kala Hiran: The Battle for Legal on a plea filed by Bollywood actor Salman Khan seeking a stay on its release.
A vacation bench of Justice Neena Bansal Krishna issued notices to the film’s makers, including Amit Jani and Akshay Pandey, and listed the matter for further hearing on June 19.
During the proceedings, Salman Khan’s counsel argued that the film appeared to be based on the blackbuck poaching case associated with the actor and violated an earlier High Court order safeguarding his personality rights.
The court was informed that while the official release date of the film has not yet been announced, its trailer was released earlier on Friday.
Khan’s legal team contended that the central character portrayed in the film bears a striking resemblance to the actor in both appearance and mannerisms. The counsel further argued that the character’s styling, including a distinctive bracelet, closely mirrors an accessory long associated with Salman Khan.
In his application, the actor stated that promotional material for the film contains an obvious reference to him. The plea said the resemblance was so significant that viewers could easily identify the character as Salman Khan.
“The character depicted has an uncanny resemblance to the plaintiff and is clearly seen wearing a bracelet, which is immediately and promptly identifiable with the plaintiff and no one else,” the application submitted before the court stated.
Khan has sought judicial intervention to prevent the release of the film, alleging unauthorized use of his persona and claiming that it infringes upon his legally protected personality rights.
The matter will now be heard on June 19, when the filmmakers are expected to present their response before the High Court.
