On Wednesday, the Bombay High Court allowed actor and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut to withdraw her plea seeking to quash an FIR registered against her at Khar police station back in 2021.
The FIR was lodged by Ashish Kaul, author of the Hindi-translated book ‘Kashmir Ki Yodhha Rani Didda’. Kaul claimed he held exclusive rights to the life story of Queen Didda, the princess of Lohar (Poonch) who went on to become the queen of Kashmir.
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The controversy erupted when Kaul alleged that Kangana used parts of his book in a tweet while announcing her film ‘Manikarnika Returns: The Legend of Didda’, without obtaining permission.
Kaul initially approached a Magistrate Court, which directed the registration of the FIR. The police also filed a chargesheet in the case keeping the legal tussle alive for years.
Kangana’s side of the story
Kangana explained that her sister, Rangoli Chandel, had received an unsolicited email titled “Kashmiri Queen who defeated Gazni twice,” which they never acknowledged. The actor maintained that her social media announcement in January 2021 about the film was based on historical facts of Queen Didda’s life, which are in the public domain.
She insisted the inspiration for ‘Manikarnika Returns: The Legend of Didda’ came from history itself, not Kaul’s book.
Soon after the announcement, Kaul issued legal notices, and the project never took off. Meanwhile, the case continued to drag on at the Bandra Metropolitan Magistrate Court, keeping Kangana in courtrooms instead of on set.
With the withdrawal of her plea in the Bombay High Court, Kangana may finally be looking to close this chapter. Only time will tell if the film restarts or stays shelved.