Jacqueline Fernandez appears in the Housefull version of Apni toh jaise taise

The first big Bollywood release after the IPL-induced box office drought has struck a wrong chord with a case in Calcutta High Court over a 30-year-old song.

The film in question is the Sajid Nadiadwala-produced Sajid Khan-directed multistarrer comedy Housefull, slated to release this Friday. The unlikely opposing party? Anandji, one half of famous music director duo Kalyanji-Anandji, and Puneet Mehra, son of yesteryear film-maker Prakash Mehra.

One of the songs of Housefull, which has also been playing incessantly on TV as one of the trailers, is a reworked version of the famous Laawaris song Apni toh jaise taise, featuring Amitabh Bachchan. The 1981 film was produced and directed by Prakash Mehra, with the song being composed by Kalyanji-Anandji and written by Mehra himself.

Nadiadwala had signed a contract with Saregama (the Laawaris soundtrack was released on its label) to buy the rights of the original Kishore Kumar song before making singer Mika — best known for “forcibly” locking lips with Rakhi Sawant — do a new version. Besides the main cast — Akshay Kumar, Arjun Rampal, Riteish, Deepika Padukone and Lara Dutta — the song features Aladin girl Jacqueline Fernandez.

Now, Anandji and Puneet Mehra claim that the rights of the Laawaris song are with Prakash Mehra Productions and neither Saregama nor the Housefull makers can use it. They moved a case before Justice Nadira Patherya of Calcutta High Court on Wednesday seeking an order restraining Nadiadwala from using the song in the film.

The original song was composed for Prakash Mehra’s Laawaris in 1981

“We are not raising objections on the release of Housefull in West Bengal. But Nadiadwala should not be allowed to use the song,” the lawyer appearing for Anandji and Mehra told the court. The petitioners also claimed that the copyright of the song was very much with them. “We have never handed over the copyright to any other company,” they said.

That the legal battle is playing out in Calcutta and not in Mumbai is because Saregama’s registered office is here and the agreement that the company is relying on was signed in Calcutta.

Earlier, on April 16, Saregama had in fact moved a case before Justice Patherya and claimed that the company possessed the copyright of the Apni toh jaise taise song.

Saregama had prayed for an advance injunction on any suit claiming the copyright of the said song and Justice Patherya had granted it. On Wednesday, Anandji and Mehra claimed that the court should vacate the interim order and issue a fresh order. The case was heard on Wednesday and will come up for hearing again on Thursday, less than 24 hours before Housefull hits city halls with a record number of shows.