‘HIT 3’ Makers In Hot Water
Madras HC issues notice on copyright infringement allegations
The Madras High Court has issued notice on a petition filed by a scriptwriter alleging that the Telugu film HIT: The Third Case, starring Nani, was an unauthorised adaptation of his original work.
Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy issued the notice, returnable by July 7, 2025, and adjourned further proceedings in the matter.
Vimalavelan, a scriptwriter and author, had sought a declaration that HIT 3 was based on his registered script. He urged the Court to restrain the respondents from further assigning rights related to the movie or committing additional acts of infringement.
In his submission, Vimal claimed he had developed and registered the original script with the South Indian Film Writers’ Association on August 4, 2021. He added that he had sent a synopsis of the script to actor Nani on August 8, 2022, proposing a possible collaboration, but did not receive any response.
According to Vimal, after watching HIT 3 upon its release, he was shocked to find that the film bore a striking resemblance to his script, with only minor alterations.
He provided the Court with detailed similarities between the two narratives.
He also demanded an account of profits earned from the film and compensation in the form of damages to the tune of 20% of these profits.
Vimal said that although he had issued legal notices to the respondents, urging them to cease and desist from further infringing upon his intellectual property, he had received no response. He had also lodged a formal complaint with the South Indian Film Writers’ Association, furnishing supporting evidence, but claimed that no action was taken.
Citing irreparable financial loss, Vimal also sought exemption from pre-suit mediation under Section 12A of the Commercial Courts Act, stressing the urgency of the matter.