Vishesh Films, the production house owned by Mukesh Bhatt and Mahesh Bhatt, has issued a public notice stating that they are the co-owners of the Aashiqui franchise and that no one can make a sequel or a derivative work without their involvement.
The notice comes after reports that the makers are planning to take Aashiqui 3 with Kartik Aaryan on floors in January 2024, with Anurag Basu as the director. However the leading lady hasn’t been finalised yet. The franchise was announced as being produced jointly by Vishesh Films and T-Series, then one wonders why this notice has been issued leading to speculations that all is not well between two parties.
Mukesh Bhatt sends out a public notice
The notice clearly spells out that Vishesh Films us co-owner of Aashiqui franchise which implies that neither T-Series nor Vishesh Films can go solo unless there’s an understanding or financial settlement between parties.
The notice, published in a trade paper on September 25, 2023, reads: “The public in general and the entertainment industry in particular are hereby requested to take note that Vishesh Films Private Limited is the producer and joint rightful owner of the intellectual property rights and derivative rights associated with the franchise titled ‘AASHIQUI’, including but not limited to the films ‘Aashiqui’ and ‘Aashiqui 2’ (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Franchise’). Thus, it is imperative to note that any communications, engagements, or commitments related to the production or distribution, or marketing of prequel, sequel or any derivative works under the Franchise made without our involvement or presence are not only unauthorized but are also fraudulent. Such actions, lacking the sanctioned participation by us, are and shall be regarded as invalid and void.”
The notice further warns that any violations or transgressions of this notice may result in legal ramifications and claims for damages. It also seeks to safeguard the integrity of their rights associated with the films and/or Franchise and to preclude any potential misrepresentations or disputes.
An official statement from Vishesh Films said: “It has come to our notice that a campaign of misrepresentation and misinformation is being carried out by individuals, groups and organisations making unsubstantiated claims on behalf of our company or our franchise, Aashiqui. Vishesh Films is known to have a strong brand of launching young talent and protecting their interests and want to prevent them from becoming victims to third parties unknowingly. Hence, in public interest and being a responsible legacy studio and production house we issued the public notice to protect and make individuals and companies aware to not trust anything that is not directly or officially from Vishesh Films and treat them as false claims.”
Aashiqui franchise
The Aashiqui franchise is one of the most successful musical romantic dramas in Bollywood. The first film, Aashiqui, released in 1990, was directed by Mahesh Bhatt and starred Rahul Roy and Anu Aggarwal. The film was a blockbuster hit and its soundtrack composed by Nadeem-Shravan became a cult classic. The second film, Aashiqui 2, released in 2013, was directed by Mohit Suri and starred Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor. The film was also a huge success and its songs composed by Mithoon, Jeet Gannguli, Ankit Tiwari and others became chartbusters.
The third film, Aashiqui 3, was reportedly announced in September 2022 with Kartik Aaryan as the lead actor. It’s strange that the film was announced with both stakeholders, one wonders what triggered this notice.
Past feud between T-Series and Vishesh Films
It is not clear what triggered the public notice from Vishesh Films at this point of time. However, this is not the first time that the two companies have locked horns over a film. In 2008, there was a legal dispute between them over the music rights of Jannat, another film produced by Vishesh Films and directed by Kunal Deshmukh. T-Series had claimed that they had signed a letter of intent with Vishesh Films in 2006 for acquiring the music rights of Jannat. However, Vishesh Films had denied any such agreement and had sold the rights to Sony BMG instead. The matter had reached the Bombay High Court, which had given an interim order in favour of T-Series.
As of now, there is no official word from T-Series on the public notice issued by Vishesh Films. It remains to be seen how this dispute will affect the fate of Aashiqui 3 and whether the fans will get to see another instalment of their favourite franchise anytime soon.
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