The Bombay High Court has restrained filmmaker Vidnyan Mane from making further allegedly defamatory statements against singer-composer Palaash Muchhal and his mother in media interviews and on digital platforms.
The bench of Justice Milind Jadhav, while passing the order, held that "Precursor of the interview (by Mane) is to an incident on 23.11.2025 (scheduled wedding of Indian cricketer Smriti Mandhana and Muchhal which was later called off), which in my opinion is prima facie not relevant especially when there is a commercial dispute between Plaintiff (Muchhal) and Defendant No.1 (Mane)."
Muchhal had approached the court through his lawyers, Siddhesh Bhole, Ashwin Pimpale and Shreyas Mithare by filing a suit seeking damages and a permanent injunction against Mane for making defamatory statements in the media and print against Muchhal and his family members. The lawyers sought urgent ad-interim exparte relief and pointed out that Mane's interviews "have materially affected his reputation as well as his family’s reputation."
According to the people in the know, Mane is a childhood friend of Mandhana and he had promised to co-produce a film with Muchhal.Muchhal put in a large sum of money, but Mane never brought in the promised amount, which led to a dispute between the two. In the meantime, when the wedding between Muchhal and Mandhana was called off, Mane put out interviews, which Muchhal alleged were defamatory.
The bench went through the transcripts of Mane's interviews and observed that the "transcript shows that there is a commercial dispute between Plaintiff and Defendant No.1".
The bench noted Muchhal's credentials and said, "Plaintiff is a renowned music composer, filmmaker in the field of Indian music industry and film industry....He is a recipient of six awards."
After going through all the materials put before it, the bench was of the view that an "arguable case has been made out" and directed that Mane be "restrained from making any further references and insinuations of the kind and nature attacking the Plaintiff and his mother, which are made in the said interviews, which are prima facie defamatory."
The legal dispute follows Mane’s complaint filed in Sangli, where he alleged that Muchhal took Rs 40 lakh from him for the production of a film that was never completed. The complaint was lodged with the Sangli district police, and documents supporting Mane’s claims were submitted.
On Instagram, Muchhal addressed the controversy directly, sharing an official statement about the defamation notice. "A legal notice for defamation of Rs 10 crore has been sent by my lawyer Shreyansh Mithare to Sangli-based Vidnyan Mane for his false, outrageous and highly defamatory accusations made with the deliberate intent to malign my reputation and career," he posted.
Weeks after the reported split with Mandhana, Muchhal is preparing for his next directorial project Nazariya. It will feature actor Shreyas Talpade in a leading role.
Source: India Today