Aamir in Ghajini

Chennai, Dec. 23: Aamir Khan’s much-hyped Ghajini has run into a hurdle with Madras High Court today putting on hold its release on Christmas Day following a suit over copyright infringement filed by the producer of the original Tamil version.

The interim injunction ordered by Justice P.R. Shivakumar applies to the whole of India.

The film starring Aamir and Kerala actress Asin was billed a blockbuster that would have ended the year with a bang for Bollywood. The industry has had only a handful of movies that did big business this year, among them Aamir’s home production Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na.

The civil suit has been filed by A. Chandrasekharan, the producer of the original Ghajini made in Tamil, against the producer of the Hindi version, Allu Aravind, director A.R. Murugadoss and distributor Adlab Films.

However, sources close to Aravind claimed that talks were on with Chandrasekharan to settle the matter out of court by tomorrow, when most multiplexes have lined up paid previews.

The story of Ghajini, about a man suffering from short-term memory loss trying to hunt down his girlfriend’s killers, is itself an adaptation of Christopher Nolan’s Memento.

In his suit, Chandrasekharan claims he had given the rights to Aravind and Murugadoss to remake the film only in Telugu, that too on a minimum guarantee basis — where the seller is allowed a share of the profits.

“I continue to be the owner of the copyright in respect of the film Ghajini and no one else is entitled to produce the same in any other language. Being the first and registered owner of the copyright, the respondents do not have the right to produce the film in Hindi,” Chandrasekharan says in his petition.

He contended that documents furnished by the respondents claiming he had given away all rights over the movie to them were either fabricated or filled in blank stamp papers he had signed under duress when he was under severe financial pressure to release the Tamil version in 2005.

“None of the documents is genuine and no transfer was made in favour of anyone in respect of the picture in all other Indian languages,” the producer said.

Murugadoss, who directed the original as well, said the Hindi version was “far better” than the original.