Ram Gopal Varma's 'Sarkar 3' got in legal trouble with Narendra Hirawat & Co who filed a case against the makers. The holder of copyrights of over 1,300 movies, the company also acquired the copyrights of 'Sarkar' franchise after the second part was released, and thus, is in possession of prequel, sequel, remake, and other irreversible world negative rights in perpetuity.
Shreyans Hirawat, executive head of Narendra Hirawat & Co., released a statement saying, “We are extremely disappointed with this move from the producers of 'Sarkar 3'. As a cautionary step, we even issued a notice to the makers in October 2016, but they have still failed to obtain permission from us for the release of the movie. We bought all the legal rights of 'Sarkar' franchise years ago and are left with no other option than to approach the high court.” He added, “Looking at the current situation, we are hopeful that the court will grant injunction and subsequently stop the release of 'Sarkar 3'.”
Meanwhile, a statement from production house Alumbra Entertainment & Media Pvt Ltd read, “The press release issued by Narendra Hirawat & Co is not only distasteful, represents false fact, but also against the law. The matter is currently sub-judice before the Bombay High Court. The press release falsely states that Narendra Hirawat & Co owns the prequel and sequel rights to movie 'Sarkar' along with remake rights.”
The third instalment of the franchise, 'Sarkar 3' featuring Amitabh Bachchan, is scheduled to release on May 12. “Narendra Hirawat's own case before the Bombay High Court is that they are the assignees of only the remake rights of 'Sarkar' and nothing else,” the statement said.
