Heirs of late ruler of Nawanagar, Jam Sahib Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji, send legal notice to Omung Kumar, Sandeep Singh and their studio for making a film on him without their permission
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 3, 2017)

Mirror (August 22) had earlier reported that Omung Kumar is gearing up to direct a biopic on the late Maharaja of Jamnagar, Jam Sahib Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji. Titled The Good Maharaja, it was announced with Sanjay Dutt in the title role. Now, we have learnt that the daughters and legal heirs of the Maharaja, Hershad Kumari and Himanshu Kumari, have sent a cease and desist notice to Omung Kumar, co-producer Sandeep Singh and their joint venture, Legend Studios.

The film is about how the ruler of Nawanagar, a princely state in British India, provided shelter to hundreds of abandoned Polish children during World War II. Hershad Kumari and Himanshu Kumari’s lawyer, Faranaaz Karbhari, the proprietor of the law firm Alpha Chambers that Hershad Kumari and Himanshu Kumari have hired, told Mirror that the makers had not sought permission from his clients. “We have learnt through print and social media that a film is being made based on the life and events concerning the late Maharaja Jam Sahib Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji who is the father of my clients, specifically the incident related to the Polish refugees. The Maharaja was a public figure and if the facts are distorted, it will tarnish his image. Hence our clients have objection to the film, as no permission is sought from them,” asserts Karbhari.

Sandeep Singh admitted that he had received the notice and it had taken him by surprise. “Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji’s story is in the public domain. Even today they celebrate Maharaja Day in Poland. I didn’t think we were required to take the rights from his heirs. But now that we have got this notice, Vikash Verma, our producer-partner who has an office in Poland, is looking into the matter. He is the one who is supposed to look into government permission while Omung and I are focused on the creative aspects of the film,” reasons Singh, adding bitterly, “Today people are looking for free publicity. Whenever a project is announced, someone or the other takes on the filmmaker.” Singh maintains that they will continue working on the script. “It’s an important story that the world should know.”

Director Omung Kumar had earlier told Mirror, “We have done a look test with Sanjay and he and Sandeep Singh have met Polish government officials for shooting permissions. We are also in touch with Indian officials. We have to create the trucks and trams used in that period as well as orchestrate the journey of the ships ... How the refugees landed in Mumbai, and finally in Jamnagar, we have to carefully cover every aspect of the story. We have photographs of the Maharaja for reference. We will take certain creative liberties but are trying to keep things as authentic as possible. Sanjay looks regal and it was his idea to do this role. I want to direct it because it’s a superb story.”

Following the notice, Verma says, “We met the Indian Ambassador in Poland Ajay Bisaria to discuss our film and he told us the Indian government is interest in backing it. Sandeep and I were present at the meet. We have no problems in seeking the family’s permission for the project but we have no plans to shelve the film.”