Varun Dhawan’s ‘Hai Jawani To Ishq Hona Hai’ Release In Jeopardy As Vashu Bhagnani Sues Makers For Rs 400 Cr
Vashu Bhagnani has filed Rs 400 crore suit against Tips and David Dhawan over the alleged unauthorised use of ‘Biwi No. 1’ songs.
Just days before its highly anticipated theatrical debut, Varun Dhawan's upcoming film, ‘Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai’, has found itself at the centre of a massive legal storm. The battle lines have been officially drawn as veteran producer Vashu Bhagnani’s Puja Entertainment has taken Ramesh Taurani’s Tips Industries and filmmaker David Dhawan to the Bombay High Court. The stakes? A staggering Rs 400 crore lawsuit over the alleged unauthorised use of two iconic Bollywood tracks.
The root of this massive industry clash traces back to the 1999 blockbuster hit ‘Biwi No. 1’. According to the lawsuit filed on Thursday by Puja Entertainment, the makers of ‘Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai’ have unlawfully utilised the legendary chartbusters ‘Chunnari Chunnari’ and ‘Ishq Sona Hai’ in their upcoming movie and its promotional materials. The legal action directly targets Tips Industries Limited, Ramesh Taurani, Kumar S Taurani, and the film's director, David Dhawan.
Filed through the legal counsels at V K Dubey Associates, Vashu Bhagnani’s suit is not pulling any punches. The production house is seeking an urgent and sweeping injunctive relief. If granted, this injunction would completely restrain the release, distribution, theatrical exhibition, streaming, and any further commercial exploitation of the film and its promotional assets that feature the disputed tracks.
ALSO READ | Watch: Varun Dhawan, Sanya Malhotra Take Internet By Storm With Killer Moves To ‘WOW’ Song
The demands do not end there. Because the upcoming film's title, ‘Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai’, is directly derived from the lyrics of the song ‘Ishq Sona Hai’, Puja Entertainment is aggressively demanding an immediate title change. Furthermore, the production house has stated that they will demand an additional Rs 100 crore in damages if Tips and David Dhawan fail to comply with these stringent demands.
Shedding light on the intricacies of the dispute, Vashu Bhagnani's lawyer detailed the history of the music rights to news agency ANI. “We have filed a suit with a claim of Rs. 400 crores to the Tips Music Company,” the advocate explained.
“The legal battle has been increasing for many days, and the rights of the musicians were not ready to be settled. Earlier, the rights of movies were based on agreements. Today, music companies buy songs from big producers or lyricists who write or create them. During that time, the agreements with Tips covered only audio rights. In 2018, Tips emailed us requesting visual rights. Vashu Bhagnani had replied to them, but their conversation did not settle,” the advocate added.
Consequently, Puja Entertainment claims to have sent a formal notice to Tips, completely cancelling the audio rights that were previously granted, meaning they cannot use the songs in the new film. "If they are the lawful owners of the music rights, they must show their documents. This is why we have filed a claim against Tips. Justice will prevail, and the truth will come out," the advocate stated.
On the other side of the courtroom, Ramesh Taurani and Tips are holding their ground. Issuing a firm statement on Thursday, Ramesh Taurani dismissed the lawsuit's allegations as completely baseless, maintaining that his company legitimately holds both the music and audio rights for the disputed songs.
Directed by David Dhawan, ‘Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai’ boasts a star-studded cast featuring Varun Dhawan, Pooja Hegde, and Mrunal Thakur. With the film slated to hit theatres on June 5, all eyes are now on the Bombay High Court. Will this Rs 400 crore lawsuit halt the release, or will the movie hit the screens as planned?
