Bombay High Court to Review Plea Challenging Ban on Film Allegedly Using Karan Johar’s Name Without Consent

The Bombay High Court has decided to hear an appeal challenging a previous court order that had put a stay on the release of the film Shaadi Ke Director Karan Aur Johar. The appeal was filed by the film’s co-producer Sanjay Singh after a single-judge bench earlier restrained the movie’s release, citing alleged unauthorized use of filmmaker Karan Johar’s name and personality.

The single judge had observed that there was a strong prima facie case against the film’s makers. According to the court, the filmmakers had seemingly violated Karan Johar’s personality rights, publicity rights, and right to privacy by using his name and personality traits in the film’s title without permission.

“There appears to be unauthorized use of Karan Johar’s name and persona which may infringe his legal rights,” the single-judge bench noted while passing the order.

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While declining to lift the interim stay, the single judge emphasized that such unauthorized use of a public figure’s name could not be permitted, even in creative works like films.

In response, the film’s co-producer Sanjay Singh approached a division bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice MS Karnik. On April 8, the bench agreed to hear his appeal.

During the hearing, the producer’s legal counsel explained that Shaadi Ke Director Karan Aur Johar is a small-budget film that does not feature big stars and, therefore, cannot rely on star power to draw in audiences at any time. The lawyer further emphasized that the months of April to June are crucial for releasing such films, as they offer a better chance of commercial success.

“This is not a star-studded film that can be released anytime and still do well. The April to June window is critical,” the producer’s lawyer submitted before the court.

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Taking note of the submissions, the division bench scheduled the matter for hearing on April 15.

The legal dispute is titled Sanjay S/o Girish Kumar Singh vs. Karan Johar also known as Rahul Johar.