Acclaimed Marathi filmmaker Nagraj Manjule‘s upcoming sports biopic Khashaba is facing a copyright lawsuit ahead of its release. The film chronicles the life of Khashaba Jadhav, India’s first individual Olympic medallist, who won bronze in wrestling at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. The legal dispute has placed the project under scrutiny, with an author alleging that the filmmakers relied on his published work without permission or proper credit.
The case was filed in a Pune civil court by author Sanjay Dudhane, who has sued director Nagraj Manjule, producer Jyoti Deshpande, Jio Studios, and Aatpat Productions. Dudhane alleges that significant portions of the film are based on his 2001 biography, Olympicveer Khashaba Jadhav, and claims that the filmmakers used his extensive original research and narrative without obtaining consent or providing appropriate acknowledgement. According to the lawsuit, the book contains years of original documentation on Jadhav’s life, including details that were not widely available in previously published accounts.
The dispute intensified after the release of the film’s official teaser. Dudhane and his legal team submitted 19 pieces of evidence to the court, arguing that the similarities between the teaser and the book extend beyond historical facts. According to the plaintiff, at least five scenes shown in the teaser closely mirror episodes described in his biography.
These include interactions involving the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Jadhav’s college principal, British officials, Manikrao of Baroda, and references to the alleged injustice faced by Punjabi wrestlers. Dudhane argues that these specific dramatizations were unique to his book and are unlikely to be coincidental because several of the incidents had not been widely documented before the biography was published.
Following the complaint, the Pune civil court issued notices to the defendants, formally initiating legal proceedings. In response, the filmmakers have argued that Khashaba is based on publicly available records and online sources, and that they also secured rights from Khashaba Jadhav’s family. According to their submissions, the screenplay draws from multiple sources rather than any single publication and was independently researched by the production team.
Dudhane’s legal representatives dispute that position, arguing that references contained in the filmmakers’ own affidavits trace back to his book, which they contend weakens the claim of independent research.
As the matter remains before the court, the author has requested the appointment of a court commission to examine both the book and the completed film before any public exhibition. If approved, an independent commissioner would compare the two works to determine whether the alleged similarities amount to copyright infringement. Such a review could affect the film’s release timeline if the court decides it should be completed before the movie reaches theatres.
The dispute has attracted attention across Maharashtra’s film and literary communities because of both Manjule’s reputation as a filmmaker known for socially grounded storytelling and Dudhane’s standing as one of the earliest authors to document Khashaba Jadhav’s life in detail before the wrestler received wider public recognition in recent years.
The case remains pending, with both sides expected to submit additional arguments and supporting material during the upcoming hearings. So far, the production team and distributors have not issued any public statement beyond their submissions before the court. As the proceedings continue, the outcome could shape the release of Khashaba while also highlighting the legal complexities surrounding biographical films, where disputes often centre on the use of original expression and research rather than historical facts themselves.
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