Bollywood unites to sue two news channels for defamation

Mon 12 Oct 2020, 21:19:17

Seems like the whole of the Hindi film fraternity has come together to stand up against two news channels for their alleged defamatory and derogatory comments against Bollywood. Some news channels had branded Bollywood as "scum" and "drug den". A suit was filed at the Delhi High Court against the two news channels and four of their anchors today by the likes of Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn, Anil Kapoor, Farhan Akhtar, Kabir Khan, among others. The plaintiff list also includes the names of The Film &Television Producers Guild of India (PGI), The Cine & TV Artiste, Association (CINTAA), Indian Film and TV Producers Council (IFTPC) and Screenwriters Association (SWA).

The suit stops these channels from conducting media trials of Bollywood personalities. The suit further asks the news channels to abide by the provisions of the Programme Code and to withdraw, recall and take down all the defamatory content published by them against Bollywood. This comes after months of extensive reportage on the Sushant Singh Rajput death case, where defamatory words like “dirt”, “filth”, “scum”, “druggies” and phrases like "all the perfumes of Arabia cannot take away the stench and the stink of this filth and scum of the underbelly of Bollywood” were used to describe Bollywood.

Four Bollywood industry associations and 34 Bollywood production houses have filed this suit. Here are the details:

1. The Film &Television Producers Guild of India (PGI)

2. The Cine & TV Artiste? Association (CINTAA)

3. Indian Film and TV Producers Council (IFTPC)

4. Screenwriters Association (SWA)

5. Aamir Khan

Productions

6. Ad-Labs Films

7. Ajay Devgn Flims

8. Andolan Films

9. Anil Kapoor Film and Communication Network

10. Arbaaz Khan Productions

11. Ashutosh Gowariker Productions