Dhurandhar director Aditya Dhar hits back over 'baseless' plagiarism claims
A filmmaker claims the Ranveer Singh hit is based on his script as legal action begins
Dubai: Ranveer Singh's action thriller Dhurandhar The Revenge has been one of the biggest box office stories of 2026.
But the film has now found itself at the centre of a plagiarism dispute that is heading toward the courts.
What is the claim?
Santosh Kumar RS, a filmmaker from Karnataka, has publicly alleged that Dhurandhar The Revenge is based on a script he wrote in 2023, titled D-Saheb. He says he only realised the alleged overlap after watching the finished film.
"After watching the movie, I came to know that it is my script and story. I had written it with a lot of hard work in 2023," he told the Indian media.
According to Santosh, the core of his story involves a young man whose family is attacked by criminals. He kills ten people in retaliation and is subsequently arrested. Impressed by his courage, he is recruited as a spy.
Santosh claims this foundational premise has been lifted for Dhurandhar The Revenge. "Aditya Dhar is very smart, he has taken only the main lines of my movie and added political propaganda," he alleged.
He also revealed that he had pitched the script to several major production houses while trying to secure backing, including Sony Pictures, Zee Studios, T-Series and Dharma Productions, with Aditya Roy Kapur in mind as his preferred lead at the time.
What does the other side say?
Aditya Dhar's team has pushed back firmly. A source told Hindustan Times that "all the allegations of Santosh, that his script is being stolen by makers of Dhurandhar or it amounts to infringement of his alleged rights, are baseless, false and untenable."
The source added a key detail around timing: "The story of Dhurandhar is an original idea, brainchild of Aditya who wrote it and registered the story in September 2023 itself." Santosh, by contrast, says he registered his script with the Screenwriters Association in November 2023, two months after Aditya Dhar's registration.
A legal notice has reportedly been issued to Santosh, with Dhar's team requesting he stop making what they describe as false claims. A source close to the filmmaker told Hindustan Times: "Aditya Dhar has already issued a notice to Santosh Kumar through his legal team, refuting the allegations. Despite the aforesaid, since Santosh continues to make baseless allegations, Aditya is in the process of initiating appropriate legal proceedings against him."
What does Santosh say about the notice?
Santosh disputes the characterisation, saying what he received was not a formal legal notice but simply an email reply. "It is not a notice, it is just a reply on my mail. They were harassing me, saying I should not complain and that I am defaming them for publicity," he said. "I told them, I am going legal, so don't send me messages. Come to court."
He also claims that when he attempted to raise the matter with the production side, Jio Studios directed him to B62 Studios, and that he has felt pressured to stay quiet. "The producers are harassing me for making the story public," he alleged.
Who is Santosh Kumar RS?
Santosh hails from Thirthahalli in Karnataka's Shivamogga district and works across directing, writing and producing. He made his directorial debut with the Kannada film Campus Kranti in 2023 and is currently developing Yuvan Robinhood, a pan-India action thriller slated for 2026.
The matter is now expected to proceed to court, where the timeline of script registrations is likely to be central to the dispute.
Areeba Hashmi is a trainee at Gulf News.
