The Bombay High Court has thrown out a copyright infringement plea against Balaji Telefilms over its 2023 comedy Dream Girl 2, ruling that the film’s storyline is entirely different from the applicant’s work and that the claim of breach of confidence was ‘far-fetched’.
The case was filed by writer Ashim Kumar Bagchi, who claimed the Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer was based on his script originally titled Kal Kisne Dekha and later re-registered as The Show Must Go On. Bagchi alleged that his story — a gender-swap comedy about a man impersonating a woman and navigating hilarious situations whenever his real identity was at risk — had been shared in confidence with one of the film’s credited writers years ago. He argued that elements of his work had been used without permission.
However, the court observed that what Bagchi was seeking amounted to a monopoly over generic ideas and common comedic tropes — such as mistaken identity and disguise — that cannot be protected under copyright law. These elements, the court said, were “stock” and “unoriginal” in nature and therefore not eligible for protection. Finding no substantive similarity between the two works, the judges dismissed the case and ordered Bagchi to pay Rs 1 lakh each in costs to Balaji Telefilms and another defendant.
About Dream Girl 2
Directed by Raaj Shaandilyaa, Dream Girl 2 is the sequel to the 2019 blockbuster Dream Girl. The film sees Ayushmann Khurrana reprising his role as Karam, who once again takes on the female persona of ‘Pooja’, leading to a series of comedic chaos and romantic misunderstandings.
Featuring Ananya Panday as the female lead alongside Paresh Rawal, Vijay Raaz, and Rajpal Yadav, the movie was a commercial success, cementing its place as one of Bollywood’s most popular comedy franchises. The film was a spiritual successor to the 2019 comedy also featuring Ayushmann.
(Also read: Ayushmann Khurrana To Headline Bhushan Kumar & Juno Chopra’s Next Out-And-Out Comedy; Starts Filming September 2025)
Stay tuned with us for the latest news, Hindi box office news, Hollywood news, OTT news, the latest Bollywood news and the latest box office news.
Related