The Bollywood is at war with The Republic TV and Times Now channels and their personnel are already being summoned, questioned. While the two channels named here are defiant and seek support from all to stand by the truth, the rest of the media channels are divided on this issue. They are friendly news channels. If Republic TV speaks to Kangana, then NDTV will interview Kangana’s adversary. This is how things are running in Mumbai right now. There are questions being raised over what could happen if people file a case on Bollywood on various issues. Bollywood thinks a certain section of the media has run a smear campaign and besmirched their reputation, ran a media trial and influenced people in becoming judgemental and named them druggies.
The job of the media is to investigate and report and they are the Fourth Estate with a responsibility. They aren’t into public relations and they have to expose the wrong in the society. Bollywood in a battle of egos and a personal agenda had filed civil suit against media houses. A new statement, issued on Wednesday on behalf of Bollywood production houses makes it clear that the suit is targeted not at any particular news channel but the entire media industry. It also says social media platforms should refrain from making or publishing irresponsible, derogatory and defamatory remarks against the Hindi film industry as a whole and members of Bollywood.
A fresh press release by DSK Legal, representing 34 production houses and four film associations, stated that the relief sought from Delhi High Court would be applicable not merely to the two news channels earlier named but to any content on any news channels, individual persons or on any of the digital platforms. “Our clients, the trade associations and production houses of the Hindi film industry which have filed a suit before the Hon’ble Delhi High Court on October 12, 2020 against certain named television news channels and digital media platforms seeking injunctive relief as stated therein, clarify that the suit is not just seeking orders against the channels and platforms named in the suit, but also against unnamed defendants referred to as John Doe/ Ashok Kumar,” read the statement.
It added: “This means that any orders passed in favour of the plaintiffs would apply to all television channels and content on digital platforms which may be found violating such orders. Our clients have also come across some others publishing such content and will be adding certain specific additional defendants to the suit. Our clients also wish to clarify that as specifically stated in the plaint, they are not seeking a blanket gag order against media reportage of investigation of cases, as our clients find is being erroneously reported.”
