The Sairat director Nagraj Manjule’s first collaboration with Amitabh Bachchan Jhund has been plagued  with  problems from  the outset.  Firstly, the  original  producer opted out leaving the project  in the lurch. Bhushan  Kumar and  T series  had to step in  to revive  the project. Even  after  the  producer  was  in place Jhund got repeatedly  delayed  during shooting apparently because  the  director insisted  on  re-shooting. The release date has been postponed  at least twice. And now  the film may not be  able to keep its December 13  release  date , as  a  filmmaker Nandi Chinni Kumar  from Hyderabad has sent  the  producers a  legal notice claiming copyright infringement. Sources  close  to T  Series  reveal that  the producers are  “seriously fed up”  of director Nagraj Manjule’s  high-handed ways.

“He  seriously thinks he’s a genius. Agreed Sairat was  a  hit. But  can one film be proof of  any filmmaker’s  sustaining  power?” the annoyed source wondered. Apparently Manjule does  his own thing.  “He  never paid attention  to  the producers’ suggestions during  the shooting of Jhund. This has not been  a pleasant  experience for anyone,” says  the source.

Sairat, a Marathi film, was a huge hit when it released. The film was remade in Hindi as Dhadak by Karan Johar who introduced Jahnavi Kapoor and Ishaan Khatter through it. The director Nagraj Manjule was feted after the release of the original and when he was signed up for Jhund, starring none other than the great Amitabh Bachchan, it turned out to be quite a coup. However, it remains to be seen if the film can make any impact when it releases, given all the controversies surrounding it.