FIR against Kangana Ranaut for 'copyright violation'

An FIR has been registered against actor Kangana Ranaut and others associated with the upcoming film Manikarnika Returns: The Legend of Didda.

Writer Ashish Kaul has claimed that he has the sole copyright of the biography on Didda: The Warrior Queen, and says that Kangana stole his story.

Kangana had announced the film as a follow-up to her 2019 historical epic, Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi, with the intention of directing it. Also named in the complaint is her sister and manager, Rangoli Chandel, and producer Kamal Jain.

Kaul told the police that he had earlier approached Ranaut and emailed her some parts of the story. He said he was shocked when the actor recently announced a movie on the subject “without his knowledge”. Ranaut is said to have replied then that her movie is not based on Kaul’s book.

Kaul then approached the Bandra magistrate court and made an application for registration of an FIR under 156 (3) CrPC against Ranaut. The court ruled in Kaul’s favour.

Speaking on behalf of Kangana Ranaut, her advocate Rizwan Siddiquee told a leading digital portal “I shall obtain a copy of the entire proceedings from the court and then I shall give a detailed statement. At this juncture I cannot comment without perusing the complaint in detail.”

The first Manikarnika film was also controversial, after director Krish accused Kangana of having him replaced. Kangana received a co-director credit and claimed to have filmed the majority of the movie.