Top Bollywood production houses move Delhi HC against 'defamatory' reportage by some media houses

Thirty eight Bollywood associations and producers have filed a suit in the Delhi High Court against two news channel, including Republic TV and Times Now, and four senior journalists -- Arnab Goswami, Pradeep Bhandari, Rahul Shivshankar, Navika Kumar -- for making or publishing irresponsible, derogatory and defamatory remarks against the Hindi film industry, as per reports.

Some of the biggest names from the film industry -- Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Karan Johar, Aditya Chopra, Farhan Akhtar -- are part of the unprecedented legal action against both the channels.

Since late actor Sushant Singh Rajput passed away, the Hindi Film industry became a target of constant ridicule on TV news channels with "derogatory and defamatory" words being used for Bollywood and its members.

‘Irresponsible reporting’

The suit asks that the news channels as well as social media platforms "refrain from making or publishing irresponsible, derogatory and defamatory remarks such as “dirt”, “filth”, “scum”, “druggies” against Bollywood and its members". It also asks that they be restrained from carrying out media trials of film personalities and infringing upon their privacy.

Bollywood and its members want a "perpetual and mandatory injunction from carrying on reportage and publication of material that violates applicable laws". The filmmakers have reportedly demanded that the news channels abide by the 1994 programme code and "withdraw, recall and take down all the defamatory content published by them against Bollywood".

The Film & Television Producers Guild of India (PGI) and Cine & TV Artistes Association (CINTAA) have also joined the suit.

Here's the list of filmmakers and producers:

1) The Film &Television Producers Guild of India (PGI)

2) The Cine & TV Artiste? Association (CINTAA)

3) Indian Film and TV Producers Council (IFTPC)

4) Screenwriters Association (SWA)

5) Aamir Khan Productions

6) Ad-Labs Films

7) Ajay Devgn Fflims

8) Andolan Films

9) Anil Kapoor Film and Communication Network

10) Arbaaz Khan Productions

11) Ashutosh Gowariker Productions

12) BSK Network and Entertainment

13) Cape of Good Films

14) Clean Slate Filmz

15) Dharma Productions

16) Emmay Entertainment & Motion Pictures

17) Excel Entertainment

18) Filmkraft Productions

19) Hope Production

20) Kabir Khan Films

21) Luv Films

22) Macguffin Pictures

23) Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment

24) One India Stories

25) R.S. Entertainment (Ramesh Sippy Entertainment)

26) Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra Pictures

27) Red Chillies Entertainment

28) Reel Life Productions

29) Reliance Big Entertainment

30) Rohit Shetty Picturez

31) Roy Kapur Films

32) Salman Khan Films

33) Sikhya Entertainment

34) Sohail Khan Productions

35) Tiger Baby Digital

36) Vinod Chopra Films

37) Vishal Bhardwaj Pictures

38) Yashraj Films