Ganguly objects to the use of his Lord’s celebration in the film Doosra

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has approached the Delhi High Court over the film Doosra, objecting to the alleged unauthorised commercial use of his identity and iconic moments from India’s 2002 NatWest Series final victory at Lord’s, particularly his shirtless balcony celebration.

Ganguly and production house Luv Films LLP have sought to restrain the film’s theatrical, digital and other releases, as well as promotional material they allege uses Ganguly’s name, image, likeness and career-defining moments without permission.

Objection to commercial use of his identity

According to the plea, the film’s trailer and promotional campaign prominently refer to Ganguly’s leadership of the Indian team and its victory in the 2002 NatWest Series final. Ganguly’s counsel argued that these references exploit his personality rights and commercial reputation to generate interest in the film without his licence.

His counsel also told the court that Ganguly effectively features as a “pseudo hero” in the film’s promotion, claiming that almost a third of the trailer consists of footage of the former cricketer.

The filmmakers, however, argued that Doosra is not a biopic of Ganguly. Their counsel told the court that the film follows a girl from Rajasthan who draws inspiration from the former captain. The filmmakers also submitted that they had obtained a licence from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to use footage from the NatWest Series, arguing that Ganguly does not hold rights over that footage.

Dispute over proposed biopic

Luv Films has separately alleged that Doosra infringes its exclusive contractual rights to develop and produce audiovisual content based on Ganguly’s life and cricket career.

The production house says it entered into an agreement with Ganguly on August 5, 2021, and has invested substantially in the authorised biopic, titled Dada – The Sourav Ganguly Story. That film is scheduled for release on May 14, 2027, according to the suit.

The dispute therefore concerns both Ganguly’s objections to the alleged commercial use of his identity and Luv Films’ claim that the film’s promotion encroaches on its contractual rights over the proposed biopic. These remain claims made by the plaintiffs, rather than findings by the court.

The Delhi High Court did not grant an immediate stay on Doosra’s release, making clear that the film could proceed to theatres.