Filmmakers have filed a lawsuit in Delhi High Court against “irresponsible reporting” in light of Sushant Singh Rajut’s Death Case.
Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his Mumbai apartment in June in what police initially said appeared to be a case of suicide. His death unleashed the media’s real face with the kind of coverage showing his body, analyzing his medical prescriptions, and suggesting “black magic” was performed on the actor.
The media also targeted his girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty, who was eventually detained for drug consumption and eventually divided the
audience into the two segments murder and suicide.
Here’s what happened?
Leading Bollywood filmmakers have filed a lawsuit in the Delhi High Court against “irresponsible reporting by certain media houses”, in the latest fallout of the Sushant Singh Rajput investigation. Some of the film industry’s biggest names, including Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Karan Johar, Aditya Chopra, and Farhan Akhtar, have come together in the unprecedented legal action against two channels – Republic TV and Times Now.
The suit has been filed against Republic TV, and Arnab Goswami and Pradeep Bhandari of the channel; and Times Now and its top faces Rahul Shivshankar and Navika Kumar.
The suit asks that the news channels as well as social media platforms “refrain from making or publishing irresponsible, derogatory and defamatory remarks such as “dirt”, “filth”, “scum”, “druggies” against Bollywood and its members”. It also asks that they be restrained from carrying out media trials of film personalities and infringing upon their privacy.
What does Bollywood want?
Bollywood and its members want a “perpetual and mandatory injunction from carrying on reportage and publication of material that violates applicable laws”. The filmmakers have reportedly demanded that the news channels abide by the 1994 programme code and “withdraw, recall and take down all the defamatory content published by them against Bollywood”.
“The privacy of the members of Bollywood is being invaded, and their reputations are being irreparably damaged by painting the entire Bollywood as criminals, seeped in drug culture, and making being part of Bollywood as synonymous with criminal acts in the public imagination,” the producers said in a statement.
The Film & Television Producers Guild of India (PGI) and Cine & TV Artistes Association (CINTAA) have also joined the suit.
Here’s the list of filmmakers and producers:
1) The Film &Television Producers Guild of India (PGI)
2) The Cine & TV Artiste? Association (CINTAA)
3) Indian Film and TV Producers Council (IFTPC)
4) Screenwriters Association (SWA)
5) Aamir Khan Productions
6) Ad-Labs Films
7) Ajay Devgn Fflims
8) Andolan Films
9) Anil Kapoor Film and Communication Network
10) Arbaaz Khan Productions
11) Ashutosh Gowariker Productions
12) BSK Network and Entertainment
13) Cape of Good Films
14) Clean Slate Filmz
15) Dharma Productions
16) Emmay Entertainment & Motion Pictures
17) Excel Entertainment
18) Filmkraft Productions
19) Hope Production
20) Kabir Khan Films
21) Luv Films
22) Macguffin Pictures
23) Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment
24) One India Stories
25) R.S. Entertainment (Ramesh Sippy Entertainment)
26) Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra Pictures
27) Red Chillies Entertainment
28) Reel Life Productions
29) Reliance Big Entertainment
30) Rohit Shetty Picturez
31) Roy Kapur Films
32) Salman Khan Films
33) Sikhya Entertainment
34) Sohail Khan Productions
35) Tiger Baby Digital
36) Vinod Chopra Films
37) Vishal Bhardwaj Pictures
38) Yashraj Films
“These defendants are conducting and publishing parallel private ‘investigations’ and effectively acting as ‘courts’ to condemn persons connected with Bollywood as guilty based on what they claim is ‘evidence’ found by them, thereby trying to make a mockery of the criminal justice system,” said Bollywood.