Seeking relief from the Delhi High Court, former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly argued that the sports film Doosra drew upon his likeness, career achievements, and personal identity without his consent, and urged the court to block the film from being released. A judge's ruling went against him, leaving the film's October 23 premiere date intact.
At the heart of Ganguly's lawsuit lay allegations that the Doosra promotional campaign drew on pivotal episodes from his playing days without his authorisation. The filing centred on two intertwined grievances: that his personal identity had been drawn into commercial use without his consent, and that his rights as an individual had been disregarded in the process.
One of the examples put forward was the NatWest Series final of 2002, in which India defeated England. Among the moments Ganguly contends were drawn upon in the film's promotional material is the photograph of him removing his shirt and waving it from a balcony in celebration.
Those behind Doosra have taken the position that the project is a work of fictional storytelling in the sports genre — one that draws on real-world events and public personalities for inspiration rather than serving as a biographical account. According to the production team, authorisation to incorporate authentic cricket footage into the film came directly from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
According to their account, the story follows Tara, a fictional woman of modest background from Rajasthan, whose path draws inspiration from actual sporting events and athletes, among them Sourav Ganguly.
Wrapped within Ganguly's broader court dispute sits a standalone biographical picture titled Dada — a film centred on his life that carries a release date of 14 May 2027. Worries put forward by Ganguly centred on whether advertising materials deployed by Doosra might cut across the sponsorship and contractual framework built around the Dada project. Rajkummar Rao's name has surfaced in discussions around the Dada project, with attention drawn to his involvement in restaging the film's well-known balcony sequence.
Set in Rajasthan, the sports drama Doosra centres on Tara, a young woman navigating life against a modest household backdrop. Those behind the production have repeatedly made clear that it carries no claim to depicting the life of any actual person. Drawing its name from a ball-delivery technique in cricket designed to mislead the batter, the film borrows that deceptive quality as its central motif.
Ganguly's petition seeking to block the film's release found no traction at the Delhi High Court, which chose not to step in.
