A high-profile intellectual property fraud case has surfaced in the Mumbai film industry, implicating notable Bollywood figures over the distribution and copyright licensing of the 2007 hit comedy movie Dhamaal. Amboli Police registered a formal FIR on 17 August 2026 against renowned director Indra Kumar and film producer Ashok Naval Kumar Thakeria. The legal action stems from a criminal complaint lodged by Vikas Baldevraj Sahani, the proprietor of Andheri West based distribution enterprise Grand Master, who alleged financial deception amounting to Rs 1.50 crore.
Terms of the Multi-Crore Rights Transfer Agreement
According to the official police complaint, Grand Master entered into a binding legal contract with Maruti International, a production banner associated with the accused filmmakers, on 15 October 2019. Under the terms of this deal, Grand Master paid Rs 1.50 crore to acquire full, permanent, and worldwide distribution rights, digital platform privileges, and absolute copyrights for the star-studded multi-starrer feature film Dhamaal, which starred Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, and Riteish Deshmukh. During negotiations, Maruti International gave explicit guarantees that no prior third-party encumbrances or licensing commitments existed regarding the film.
Hidden Rights Deals and Alleged Contract Manipulation
Trouble escalated when the purchasing firm discovered that Maruti International had already transferred the lifetime OTT and digital rights of Dhamaal to Shemaroo Entertainment Limited back in 2015. When Sahani confronted the producers regarding this undisclosed prior contract, the accused allegedly drafted a fraudulent agreement on bond paper in October 2020. This altered paperwork was purportedly submitted to Shemaroo in an attempt to undermine Grand Master's legal title and suppress their exclusive commercial claim over the property.
Official Government Copyright and Broader Financial Impact
To substantiate his claim, Sahani presented a series of official records to law enforcement agencies. Following an inspection of the chain of title documentation, the Copyright Office of the Government of India granted a formal registration certificate on 28 April 2023, listing Grand Master as the lawful copyright proprietor of Dhamaal. Furthermore, in January 2020, the original producers had issued a lab transfer authorization instructing the laboratory to hand over the complete master sound and picture negatives to Grand Master. The conflicting rights agreements severely impaired Grand Master's ability to monetize the asset, forcing the cancellation of lucrative distribution deals with major streaming networks. After receiving an unsatisfactory response to a formal legal notice dispatched on 2 January 2023, the complainant approached the authorities, prompting the ongoing police probe.
