Bombay HC Halts OTT Release Of Rajkummar Rao’s ‘Bhool Chuk Maaf’ After PVR Inox Plea
The Bombay High Court has stopped the OTT release of Bhool Chuk Maaf for eight weeks post its theatrical debut. This came after PVR Inox alleged a contract breach by Maddock Films.
Mumbai: On May 10, The Bombay High Court has put a temporary hold on the release of the movie Bhool Chuk Maaf, which stars Rajkummar Rao, on any OTT platform or other digital media.
The court said that the movie cannot be released online for at least eight weeks after it first comes out in theatres owned by PVR Inox.
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This decision was taken after PVR Inox, a well-known chain of multiplex cinemas, went to court against the producers of the film—Maddock Films. PVR Inox told the court that the producers had promised to release the film first in theatres.
However, the producers decided to release the movie directly on OTT because of rising national security concerns, especially due to the current India-Pakistan conflict.
PVR Inox claimed that the producers had broken the contract. They said that Maddock Films had earlier agreed to release Bhool Chuk Maaf in theatres, and now they were trying to release it online instead, which is not fair to them.
The court agreed with PVR Inox for now and ordered that the film must not be released on any online platform for at least eight weeks after its theatrical release.
This means the film should come to cinemas first, and only after eight weeks it can be released online.
The court also heard the arguments made by PVR Inox where they said,
“We had an understanding that the movie would first come to theatres.”
They also said,
“The producers are going back on their promise.” They added, “Releasing the movie on OTT first is a clear violation of our agreement.”
Maddock Films explained to the court that because of “heightened national security concerns amid the India-Pakistan conflict,” they felt it would be better and safer to release the film online rather than in theatres.
However, the court still decided to support PVR Inox for now by stopping the online release.
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This case shows how agreements between movie producers and cinema chains are legally important. Even if there is a big reason like national security concerns, a deal once made can’t be broken easily without consequences.
The court’s temporary order protects the rights of PVR Inox and keeps the importance of contracts strong in the film industry.
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