Ratan Jain sues Ravi Teja starrer 'Khiladi' for copying title of Akshay Kumar's hit film
Ace producer Ratan Jain has filed a case at the Delhi High Court as the title ‘Khiladi’ has been used without his permission. Read on for details.
- Entertainment News
- 3 min read
There have been certain incidents in the past where benevolent producers were seen giving away the title rights of their old film to another producer for free. However, if the title of an old movie, that too a famous one, is usurped by another film without permission, it can lead to a legal mess. And one such was faced by the producers of the Telugu film, Khiladi.
Ace producer Ratan Jain has filed a case at the Delhi High Court as the title ‘Khiladi’ has been used without his permission. The Ravi Teja starrer Khiladi was released on February 11, not just in the original Telugu language but also in Hindi. The name of the movie is the same as the super-hit 1992 Hindi film, starring Akshay Kumar.
Ratan Jain files case against Ravi Teja starrer Khiladi makers
While sharing his views on the name being used by the makers, producer Jain told Bollywood Hungama that his company has filed the case on both parties – the presenter and the producer. A case has been registered against not just the Hindi version, but even the Telugu version presenters as they cannot have the same name. Jayantilal Gada, of PEN Marudhar, has presented the action entertainer in the Hindi version. Jain explained that his company has the trademark registration for ‘Khiladi’. The trademark is all over India. Nobody can use just the title Khiladi in the entertainment industry. Titles like Sabse Bada Khiladi, Khatron Ke Khiladi, and more can be used except Khiladi as it is his trademark.
Ratan Jain then stated that he had a hearing on February 10 where they had presented the case. According to the judge, it was too late to stop the release so the makers made it clear that they do not want to halt the film from being released. Jain then opined that he is perplexed as to why the makers released the trailer very late, on February 8, after knowing the fact that their film was slated to release on February 11. Jain then revealed that he had prepared for the case on February 9 and it was set for hearing at the Delhi High Court on February 10. So, from his side, he has not done any delay.
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When asked why he didn’t raise the issue before, Ratan Jain replied that he learned about the film at the last moment, after seeing the trailer. He reasoned that if a film with the title Khiladi is being made in Telugu, how would he be able to know about it in Mumbai. He continued that now since the whole ballgame has changed, the South filmmakers register the title through the association in the South. With the success of Pushpa, this has now become a trend - to release a South film in the dubbed version in cinemas on the same day. And they are using the same title for the Hindi version.
Sharing further details about the court case, Ratan Jain said that the judge has told them that principally, Jain and his company are right but the film’s release neither can be stopped nor should we attempt to do so as several people and the distribution and exhibition sectors are involved. He also stated that they will now give the right direction to the makers, regarding the electronic release, that is, the OTT release. The next hearing regarding the case is on Wednesday, February 16.