Delhi High Court declines to stay Doosra's release in Sourav Ganguly personality rights suit

The court's interim decision

The Delhi High Court refused to stay the release of Doosra, directed by Abhinay Deo, after an urgent hearing ahead of the film's scheduled theatrical release on 23 October 2026. Justice Dinesh Bhatt declined to grant an interim stay at that hearing, with the matter kept for the following day, so the film's release was not blocked at that stage.

The challenge was brought by former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly and Luv Films LLP against the production entities, the filmmakers and PVR. The distinction matters: declining an interim stay is not the same as deciding the full merits of the personality rights claim, and the reports describe the case as continuing after the release date.

What each side argued

Ganguly's side argued that the filmmakers had not obtained a licence from him to use his identity and achievements, and that he effectively served as the film's pseudo hero, pointing to references to his career in the trailer and in the director's interview. The plaintiffs also alleged that the film commercially exploited Ganguly's identity, reputation and professional achievements without his consent, and that it could affect an authorised biopic that Luv Films is developing.

The defendants argued that Doosra is not a biopic, but follows a girl from Rajasthan who draws inspiration from Ganguly. They also submitted that the production had obtained the necessary licence from the Board of Control for Cricket in India or the authorised rights holder to use footage from the 2002 NatWest Series, and that Ganguly does not hold rights over that footage. Those competing claims, rather than a single agreed version of events, are what the court was asked to weigh.

What the film is about, and what remains open

Doosra uses the backdrop of Indian cricket, specifically Ganguly's shirt-waving celebration at Lord's in 2002, as a thematic anchor, but its narrative focuses on a young woman named Tara, played by Plabita Borthakur, who lives in a conservative household in Rajasthan. The film explores her struggle for autonomy and her decision to challenge societal expectations, drawing a parallel with the defiant attitude associated with the former captain on the field.

The title itself is a cricket term for a delivery that turns in an unexpected direction, used in the film as a metaphor for the protagonist beginning to view her circumstances through a new, more independent lens. For readers, the key point to keep separate is the completed event, the court's refusal to halt the release, from the still-open question of whether the underlying personality rights claim will succeed.

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