Release of ‘Aarakshan' stayed

The Madras High Court on Monday granted an ad interim injunction, restraining Base Industries Group (BIG), Mumbai, from releasing Amitabh Bachchan-starrer ‘Aarakshan.'

Justice V. Periya Karuppiah passed the order on an application in a suit preferred by G.G. Photo Limited, represented by its director Sushil Gupta and Mrs. Madhu Gupta of West K.K. Nagar here.

The judge granted the injunction with the condition that BIG (defendant), represented by Firoz A. Nadiadwala, proprietor, should not release the picture without paying the suit claim of Rs. 3,71,60,000 to the applicants or depositing the sum to the credit of the suit or furnishing a bank guarantee from any nationalised bank for the said sum to the satisfaction of the High Court registry.

The plaintiffs submitted that they had agreed to provide financial assistance to BIG for its film production business. While G.G. Photo advanced Rs. 2 crore, Mrs. Madhu Gupta had given Rs. 1.25 crore.

The defendant issued four cheques towards repayment of the principal with interest.

However, the cheques bounced. In the agreement BIG had undertaken that it would repay the entire dues before the release of any of its forthcoming films.

However, BIG completed ‘Aarakshan' starring Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone and it is slated for release worldwide on August 12, without any notice to the plaintiffs and without repaying the dues. Hence, the present suit for the recovery of the dues.