Salman Khan's Wanted runs into legal trouble

Chennai: Madras High Court on Thursday directed Sridevi Productions to furnish a bank guarantee for a sum of Rs 3.6 crore or deposit the amount in cash and also a security for another Rs 5.4 crore within a week, failing which the screening of Hindi movie Wanted, starring Salman Khan, Vinod Khanna and Ayesha, will be stopped.

In his order on a suit filed by Mumbai based G G Photo Ltd, seeking recovery of over Rs 6.74 crore from Sridevi Kapoor, her husband Boney Kapoor and father-in-law Surendra Kapoor, Justice G Rajasuria said if the amount was not deposited within a week orders prohibiting the defendants from screening the film jointly or severally would be enforced.

G G Photo Director Sushil Gupta, who contended that two other suits had also been filed by closely associated business concerns represented by him, said total claim of the three suits was about Rs 7.92 crore.

Gupta said the claims arose out of financial assistance rendered and raw film stock supplied to the defendants.

Claiming that the defendants had admitted their liabilities in their counter affidavits, Gupta contended that the liabilities of the defendants were borne out and admitted in several letters, agreements and cheques duly executed and

issued by them. Boney Kapoor was acting on behalf of all the defendants.

The plaintiff pointed out that the only points of defence raised by the defendents in all the three suits were regarding the jurisdiction of the Madras High Court hear the suits and execution of letters and cheque on January one, 2007.

Gupta claimed that all the three entities Sridevi Productions of which Sri Devi Kapoor is the proprietor, Narasimha Enterprises and S K Films Enterprises with proprietors being Boney Kapoor and Surendra Kapoor, respectively, constituted one business entity in the eyes of law though being operated by Boney Kapoor in three different names for the purpose of internal auditing.

Wanted, a remake of Tamil movie Pokkiri, directed by Prabhu Deva and produced by S K Films was slated for release in a weeks time.

Gupta sought an interim injunction restraining the respondents/defendants from delivering or releasing the prints anywhere in the world in any form without paying the sums claimed in the suit pending its disposal.