MasterChow Agrees To Stop Using Dhurandhar Character In Its Ad; Bombay HC Records Settlement In Jio's Suit

A dispute over the use of the Dhurandhar film character 'Jameel Jamali' in an advertisement has been settled before the Bombay High Court, with Reliance Industries Limited's Jio Studios resolving its case against MasterChow Foods Private Limited.

Jio Studios had objected to an advertisement created by MasterChow that featured the character 'Jameel Jamali' from Dhurandhar, along with behind-the-scenes footage from the film. The company said this amounted to copyright infringement in the character.

On May 4, Justice Sharmila U. Deshmukh recorded that the parties had amicably settled the dispute.

Under the settlement, MasterChow acknowledged that Jio Studios and B62 Studios jointly own all intellectual property rights in Dhurandhar, including the visual depiction of the character. It has agreed not to use any part of the film or related material in the future without prior written permission.

However, the company has been granted a limited licence to continue using the character in the advertisement until May 7, 2026. The court also recorded that payment for this limited use has already been made.

During the hearing, Jio Studios informed the court that after the advertisement was first published, it had been widely re-shared by unknown third parties across multiple social media platforms.

Taking note of this, the court directed unidentified parties (John Doe defendants) to de-list, remove, delete, destroy, and disable access to the advertisement and the behind-the-scenes clips wherever they appear online. Jio Studios has been asked to notify the relevant platforms of the specific links so that access can be blocked.

The court disposed of the case in terms of the settlement and the directions issued against these unidentified parties.