Doosra: Delhi court finds prima facie breach of Ganguly’s rights

According to a PTI dispatch published by The Economic Times, the Delhi High Court found that the film “Doosra” prima facie infringed cricketer Sourav Ganguly’s personality rights, while declining to interfere with its theatrical screenings. Justice Tejas Karia reportedly observed that the film went beyond depicting historical events and that the defendants had prima facie commercially exploited Ganguly’s identity and persona. This is a preliminary assessment in an interim order, rather than a final determination of infringement.

The lawsuit was brought by Ganguly and Luv Films LLP, which is producing a biographical film about the former captain. According to the report in The Economic Times, the order requires the makers of “Doosra” to insert an appropriate disclaimer in the film and provide a bank guarantee of INR 20 million: security rather than an award of damages. The dispute concerns the commercial exploitation of personal identity through a cinematic work. The text of the order has not been consulted, so the wording and scope of its requirements have not been independently verified.