Bollywood film producer Vashu Bhagnani on Monday had moved the Supreme Court to stall the release of Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Rajkummar Rao, Divya Dutta and Satish Kaushik starrer Fanney Khan. The film is slated for an August 3 release. However, the Supreme Court refused to stay the release of the film as sought by the film producer over a tussle on film’s distribution rights.

The case was presented by Bhagnani’s lawyer before a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice A.M. Khawhilkar and Justice DY Chandrachud who scheduled it for a hearing on August 1. Bhagnani’s Pooja Films had claimed that sole distribution rights for the film were sold to it according to the agreement, and they have paid an amount of Rs 8.50 crore out of the Rs 10 crore payments that were agreed upon. The rest of the money was supposed to pay a week before the film’s release.

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They further alleged that the rights were parted with the entire co-production and distribution rights. This is not the only legal trouble the film faced. Earlier, the film faced the heat when producer Prernaa Arora’s KriArj Entertainment faced monetary issues and later on Bhushan Kumar of T-Series came onboard to salvage the film. Apparently, there are two more petitions pending before the Delhi and Bombay High Courts. Bhagnani’s lawyer sought direction to transfer the pending cases to the Supreme Court and stay the release of the film. However, the appeal was quashed and the film will release on its slated date giving a much-needed breather to the producers of the film.

Fanney Khan is a film based on the relationship between a father and daughter. Anil plays a failed singer who wishes that his daughter becomes a big singing sensation and in order to get her daughter the limelight kidnaps a pop diva played by Aishwarya.