Dhurandhar 2 Copyright Storm: Dhar Fights Back Against Copy Claims

While Dhurandhar: The Revenge steamrolls toward ₹1,525 crores worldwide and counting, director Aditya Dhar finds himself fighting a different kind of war: one over intellectual property that could overshadow even his blockbuster's historic numbers.

The controversy exploded when Santosh Kumar RS publicly alleged that Dhurandhar: The Revenge borrows from his script, titled D-Saheb. The Kannada filmmaker claims he wrote his revenge thriller in 2023, centering on a young boy whose family is attacked by criminals, who then avenges the assault and is later sent by RAW to Pakistan to combat terrorism. Sound familiar?

But Dhar isn't backing down. The Uri director has issued legal notices through his team, refuting the allegations and demanding Santosh stop making what they term "false claims". Sources close to the production reveal the gloves are officially off, with formal legal proceedings now being initiated after Santosh refused to retreat from his accusations.

The dispute gets messier when you dig into the details. Dhar's team claims their story was registered with the Screenwriters Association in September 2023, while Santosh allegedly registered his script only in November 2023: a timeline that could prove crucial in court.

Santosh isn't just claiming theft; he's positioning this as artistic betrayal. "I had written the film for cinema and entertainment, but they made it as political propaganda," he stated. He's also revealed that he pitched his D-Saheb script to major production houses including Sony Pictures, Zee Studios, T-Series, and Dharma Productions, originally envisioning Aditya Roy Kapur in the lead role that eventually went to Ranveer Singh.

What makes this particularly fascinating is the David vs. Goliath dynamic. Here's a relatively unknown filmmaker taking on one of the industry's hottest directors, whose film is currently the fourth-highest grossing Indian film of all time and showing no signs of slowing down. The timing feels deliberate: nothing gets attention like attacking a cultural phenomenon at its peak.

The legal chess match is already underway. While Santosh disputes receiving any formal legal notice, claiming he only got "a reply on my mail" with harassment to stay quiet, Dhar's team maintains they've followed proper legal protocols. Both sides are now headed for what promises to be a very public courtroom showdown.

For an industry already grappling with questions of originality and intellectual property, this case couldn't be more perfectly timed. Whether Santosh has a genuine grievance or is attempting to ride Dhurandhar's coattails to fame, the courts will ultimately decide. But one thing's certain: this controversy has legs, and it's not going away until someone blinks first.