Bollywood giants to sue Republic TV & Times Now over “irresponsible” coverage

Bollywood giants, including filmmakers and actors have started legal proceedings for “irresponsible reporting by certain media houses” in the Susant Singh Rajput death case.

NDTV reports that Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Karan Johar, Aditya Chopra and Farhan Akhtar will take on Republic TV and Times Now.

It reports that the lawsuit has been filed against Arnab Goswami and Pradeep Bhandari on Republic TV and Rahul Shivshankar and Navika Kumar on Times Now.

The Bollywood fraternity in question has accused the broadcasters for “highly derogatory words and expressions for Bollywood”, listing terms like “dirt”, “filth”, “scum” and “druggies”.

The complaint further stated that the channels used provocative expressions like: “It is Bollywood where the dirt needs to be cleaned”; “All the perfumes of Arabia cannot take away the stench and the stink of this filth and scum of the underbelly of Bollywood”; “This is the dirtiest industry in the country”; and “Cocaine and LSD-drenched Bollywood”.

It added that the channels and social media must “refrain from making or publishing irresponsible, derogatory and defamatory remarks against Bollywood and its members.”

After Rajput’s death on 14th June 2020, the Bollywood film industry had come under attack after accusations of hypocrisy and bullying in the industry emerged.