Bombay High Court Says It Can Hear Bholaa Remake Dispute Against Reliance Entertainment

In Dream Warrior Pictures v. Reliance Studio Entertainment & Ors., the Bombay High Court has held that it has jurisdiction to hear the dispute linked to Bholaa, the Hindi remake of the Tamil film Kaithi. The ruling clears the way for the court to examine Dream Warrior Pictures’ claims on merits.

Justice Sharmila Deshmukh rejected the objection raised by Reliance Entertainment that only courts in Chennai could hear the matter. The Court said the facts placed before it showed that an important part of the cause of action had arisen in Mumbai.

The dispute concerns alleged breaches of copyright and contract involving Dream Warrior Pictures, Reliance Entertainment Studios and other parties connected with the remake. Dream Warrior has also raised issues relating to unpaid dues, termination of agreements, and profits allegedly earned from the remake.

According to Dream Warrior, it had entered into agreements concerning the remake rights of Kaithi. It told the Court that while an initial payment of ₹1 crore plus GST was made in April 2022, later payments due in April and May 2023 were not made despite repeated follow-ups.

The production house further argued that the default continued for a long period. It said a demand notice was issued in October 2024 seeking ₹4 crore along with interest, and that since the default was not cured even after that, the remake rights stood reverted to it after November 27, 2024.

Dream Warrior has sought several reliefs before the High Court. These include a direction to stop the distribution of Bholaa, termination of the remake agreements, and recovery of the amounts it says remain unpaid along with profits allegedly derived from the film.

Reliance and the other respondents had opposed the maintainability of the case in Mumbai. Their stand was that the agreements were executed in Chennai and therefore Chennai courts alone had exclusive jurisdiction to hear the dispute.

The High Court, however, was not persuaded by that argument. It examined the agreements and the events connected with the remake. The Court noted that the full assignment of remake rights could happen only through the second agreement, and that this part of the transaction had a direct connection with Mumbai.

While explaining its view, the Court observed, “The jurisdiction clause under the second agreement confers jurisdiction on the Courts of Mumbai”. On that basis, it held that the Bombay High Court was competent to hear the suit.

This order does not decide the final rights of the parties in the dispute. It only settles the question of where the case can be heard. With that issue decided, the Court is now set to take up the substantive claims made by Dream Warrior Pictures.

The matter is scheduled for further hearing on April 30, when the High Court will consider the main allegations and reliefs sought in the suit over Bholaa and the remake rights of Kaithi.