A session court in Mumbai has stayed the order on the released of director Anubhav Sinha's Mulk starring Rishi Kapoor and Taapsee Pannu. The film was set to release on August 3, as scheduled earlier. The court order came after an application was filed by Vandana Punwani asking the court to ban the film from releasing.

Mulk is said to be associated with the production and entertainment agency Benaras Media Works Limited. This agency is in legal disputed with Vandana Punwani over property rent dues and disputes. Punwani's claim was since the company is associated with the release of the film should stay until the disputes were resolved.

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In 2011, the applicant, Punwani, rented her bungalow to the agency, who wanted to convert the space into a commercial one. However, the required permissions from the civic bodies did not come through. Following this, the applicant alleged that the agency refused to pay rents. Later, in 2016, she approached the Dindoshi Session Court in an attempt to recover the pending rent which she claimed was around Rs. 50 Lakhs.

Post this, in July 2018, Punwani filed an application in Mumbai Session Court to stay the release of Mulk till the disputes between her and her tenant resolve. On Monday, July 30, an additional session judge granted an interim stay on the release of the movie and a further hearing on August 2.

Reacting to the fiasco, the director Anubhav Sinha shared his statement via a tweet. He wrote, "A court order restraining the release of the film Mulk directed by me has been circulating in Whatsapp groups and the social media. No such orders have been served upon us. If someone has mischievously misled the court and if the court has really passed such an order we shall move in a petition to vacate the same ASAP. Meanwhile logistically all arrangements are in place to release the film on the set date August 3."

https://twitter.com/anubhavsinha/status/1023958149424807941

Meanwhile, Sinha's lawyer Vaibhav Krishna said, "Punwani in her application has made false claims that the Benaras Media Works has links with Mulk director Anubhav Sinha. These are not true. We are yet to receive the court's order staying the release. But tomorrow we will either seek clarification from the same court or approach the Bombay High Court."