Kiku Sharda Faces Legal Trouble for Impersonating Baburao on Kapil Show
The upcoming finale of The Great Indian Kapil Show, set to air this Saturday with Akshay Kumar as the guest, has landed in legal hot water. Producer Firoz A. Nadiadwala has issued a Rs 25 crore notice to Netflix and the makers of the show, alleging unauthorized use of Baburao Ganpatrao Apte, the iconic character from the Hera Pheri franchise.
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The controversy arose after comedian Kiku Sharda performed an act on the show, impersonating Baburao, a role immortalized by Paresh Rawal. Nadiadwala, who owns the rights to the character, claims the portrayal was done without proper permission.
“Baburao is not just a character, but the soul of Hera Pheri. This legacy was built with our sweat, vision, and creativity, and no one can hijack or misuse it without our permission. Paresh Rawalji nurtured the role and put his heart and soul into it. No one has the right to misuse it for wrongful commercial gain. We will protect what we have created because culture is not for exploitation, it is for preservation,” said Nadiadwala in a statement.
The notice cites several alleged violations, including copyright infringement under Section 51 of the Copyright Act, 1957, and trademark infringement under Section 29 of the Trademarks Act. Baburao, according to Nadiadwala’s team, is a registered trademark owned by his family. The complaint also mentions infringement of exclusive rights under Section 14 of the Copyright Act, which covers communication of a work to the public and its inclusion in films.