Mumbai, August 19: A shocking case of fraud and forgery has emerged from the Mumbai film industry involving the distribution rights of one of Bollywood’s most popular comedy films, ‘Dhamal’. A prominent distribution company has reportedly been defrauded of ₹1.5 crore under the pretext of selling the film’s distribution, digital, and copyright rights.
On August 17, 2026, the Amboli police registered a case against renowned film producer Ashok Naval Kumar Thakaria and veteran director Indra Kumar. This action was taken based on a complaint filed by Vikas Baldevraj Sahni, the owner of Grand Master, a leading film distribution company located in Andheri West.
The complaint alleges that the production company, Maruti International, committed fraud, causing significant financial losses. According to Sahni, an official agreement was made with Maruti International on October 15, 2019, for the permanent purchase of all-world distribution, rights, and copyrights of the hit film ‘Dhamal’ (starring Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, and Riteish Deshmukh) for ₹1.5 crore. During the deal, the producers assured that the rights had not been sold to any third party. However, it later came to light that the accused had sold the film’s lifetime OTT and digital rights to Shemaroo Entertainment Limited back in 2015.
Following the revelation of the fraud, the accused allegedly presented a forged agreement on bond paper and attempted to suppress Grand Master’s legal rights by modifying the contract with Shemaroo in October 2020. The victim businessman has presented several strong documents to the police to assert his ownership.
The Government Copyright Certificate issued by the Copyright Office of India confirmed Grand Master as the official and legal copyright owner of the film ‘Dhamal’ after reviewing all documents on April 28, 2023. In January 2020, the producers had also written to the film lab, transferring full ownership of the original negative (sound and picture) to Grand Master, which remains legally secure with them.
Due to this fraud, Grand Master faced the cancellation of ongoing business deals with other major digital platforms, resulting in a substantial financial loss. After receiving no satisfactory response to a legal notice sent on January 2, 2023, the victim approached the police. The Mumbai police have now registered the case and initiated an investigation, examining the relevant documents.
Bhupendra Singh Chundawat is a seasoned technology journalist with over 22 years of experience in the media industry. He specializes in covering the global technology landscape, with a deep focus on manufacturing trends and the geopolitical impact on tech companies. Currently serving as the Editor at Udaipur Kiran, his insights are shaped by decades of hands-on reporting and editorial leadership in the fast-evolving world of technology.