The Madras High Court has taken note of a serious claim by scriptwriter Vimal @ Vimalavelan, who alleges that the Telugu movie HIT: The Third Case (HIT 3), starring actor Nani, is an unauthorized adaptation of his original script.

Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy, hearing the petition, issued a notice to the respondents, making it returnable by July 7, 2025, and adjourned the proceedings for the time being.

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The petition filed by Vimal, a registered scriptwriter and author, seeks a formal declaration from the court stating that the film is based on his original story. He further requested a permanent injunction against the filmmakers to prevent them from assigning further rights or committing any additional acts of copyright infringement.

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According to Vimal, his script was officially registered with the South Indian Film Writers' Association on August 4, 2021. Hoping for a possible collaboration, he sent a synopsis of his work to actor Nani on August 8, 2022. However, he claims he received no response from the actor or his team.

"I was shocked to see the movie was based entirely on my script with only minor changes," Vimal told the court after watching HIT 3 in theatres.

He further detailed the similarities between his script and the movie’s plot to highlight the alleged infringement.

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Despite issuing a legal notice to the concerned parties, Vimal stated that no response was received. He also submitted that he had lodged a formal complaint with the South Indian Film Writers' Association, including evidence to support his claim, but the association had not taken any action so far.

"Their silence and inaction have caused me irreparable financial loss," Vimal contended.

He has demanded not only an account of the profits earned from the film but also damages and compensation amounting to 20% of the total earnings.

The scriptwriter also sought relief from the court to proceed with the case without undergoing pre-suit mediation, citing urgency under Section 12A of the Commercial Courts Act.

Case Title: K Vimal Vimalavelan v. Naveen Babu Ghanta @ Nani and Others