Border 2: Bharat Shah’s Public Notice REVEALS Ongoing Legal Battle With JP Dutta Over Rights Of Original Film, WARNS Future Deal-Makers
Border 2 has generated a lot of excitement lately. The announcement video, featuring Sunny Deol’s voice, quickly grabbed attention.
The buzz grew even more with Diljit Dosanjh and Varun Dhawan joining the cast, hinting at an action-packed war drama. However, the film might encounter some bumps along the way due to ongoing legal disputes over its predecessor, Border.
Border 2 Makers Face Legal Notice Over Rights Of Original Film
A recent public notice from Bharat Shah has brought these legal troubles back into the spotlight. The notice, published in the Complete Cinema magazine’s September 7-14, 2024 issue, details a protracted legal dispute between Shah and Border’s director and producer, J.P. Dutta.
The notice was issued by advocate Ajay Khatlawala, a Senior Partner at Little & Co. It reveals that Bharat Shah and his wife Bina Bharat Shah control the global rights to the Border.
Their agreement with Dutta, dated November 21, 1994, involved financing the film, with a revenue-sharing arrangement of 50:50. The agreement also required Dutta to provide regular financial updates to Shah.
According to the notice, Shah alleges that Dutta has not honoured these terms. He claims Dutta failed to disclose financial details and did not share the profits as agreed.
This breach of contract led Shah to file a complaint with the Indian Film & TV Producers’ Council. By 2014, the matter had escalated to the Bombay High Court and has since been transferred to a civil court, where it remains unresolved.
The Public Notice Cautions Future Deal-Makers Of Border
In a statement to Bollywood Hungama in December 2021, Shah elaborated on the ongoing issue. “J.P. Dutta has not provided us with the all-India overflow,” Shah explained. He noted that while he received his share from Sony and the Bombay circuit, subsequent payments were not forthcoming.
Shah attributed the delay to the slow pace of Indian civil cases, exacerbated by COVID-19. “The court hasn’t given a stay, and those who bought the rights from J.P. Dutta are freely playing the film,” Shah added.
The public notice also serves as a warning to potential buyers of Border rights. Shah’s legal team issued it to caution anyone considering deals with Dutta, highlighting that the matter is still pending in court.
The notice emphasises that transactions involving the film’s rights should be approached with caution due to the ongoing litigation.
Shah’s notice aims to prevent future disputes by alerting potential deal-makers about the legal complications. “We gave the notice because we heard that he’s going to sell the rights,” Shah said.
“We wanted to ensure that everyone is informed about the ongoing case so that no one can claim they were unaware.”
As Border 2 prepares to kick off, the legal cloud hanging over its predecessor could cast a shadow on its release.
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