In a significant ruling, the Delhi High Court has prohibited T-Series from using the title ‘Aashiqui’ for any of their upcoming films, marking a major development in the ongoing dispute between Mukesh Bhatt and T-Series Chairman Bhushan Kumar over the iconic franchise.
Mukesh Bhatt, who co-produced the original ‘Aashiqui’ (1990) and its 2013 sequel, shared his perspective on the matter in an interview with Times of India. “I made ‘Aashiqui 2’ with the same values that I made the first one with. I have the experience of understanding what to do and what not to do. I’ve been in the business for 50 years, which unfortunately Bhushan is not,” Bhatt stated, underscoring his long-standing connection to the franchise.
The conflict centers around Bhatt’s concern that Bhushan Kumar, who took over T-Series after his father’s death, does not grasp the core essence of ‘Aashiqui’. Bhatt explained, “He was not understanding the core values of what Aashiqui should be and unintentionally he was doing more things to harm it than to do good for it. The idea is to protect the franchise.”
Bhatt emphasised that his actions are rooted in a desire to preserve the integrity of the ‘Aashiqui’ brand, not just for himself or Bhushan Kumar but for the audience. “I did what I did to protect the brand Aashiqui, not only for myself and Bhushan but people in general. Aashiqui as a franchise belongs to the audience. If Aashiqui dies, love dies, music dies,” he said, highlighting the cultural significance of the franchise.
He further expressed his commitment to safeguarding the legacy of the films, explaining that his decision to take legal action was to prevent any further damage to the brand. “This was the only way there could be a stoppage for him to do further harm to the franchise because he was unintentionally doing damage to it,” Bhatt added.
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