Kamaal R Khan vs Vikram Bhatt: Filmmaker sends KRK legal notice for defamation

Kamaal R Khan has a reputation for needling the film industry’s leading lights, often engaging in all-out mudslinging on social media, where he enjoys a considerable following.

However, this once, the self-proclaimed critic may just have bitten off more than he can chew as filmmaker Vikram Bhatt has sent him a legal notice for making defamatory statements against him on YouTube and Twitter.

The incident was triggered with a “review” of Vikram’s film 1920 London that was released in May this year. KRK “reviewed” the film via a Facebook video. While he begins by panning the film in his video review , the criticism quickly takes on a personal and salacious note: KRK insinuates that Vikram Bhatt makes use of the “casting couch”, that he “stalled” the careers of actresses like Sushmita Sen and Ameesha Patel, and alludes to the 2011 suicide abetment case that 1920 London’s leading lady Meera Chopra was embroiled in.

Vikram, via his lawyer Rizwan Siddiquee, sent a defamation notice to Kamaal R Khan in response. KRK tweeted out images of the notice on Twitter on Thursday, 23 June.

“I sent a criminal notice to Kamaal Rashid Khan to which he was required to respond within seven days. The time is up and we haven’t heard from him. It’s obvious that he doesn’t have any justification for his criminal acts of defamation and is apparent that he is lying. Instead, he has chosen to blatantly continue with it, showing a complete disregard to laws and even had the audacity to outrage the modesty of my other client, Ms Meera Chopra,” Rizwan Siddiquee was quoted as saying in this Mumbai Mirror report.

KRK, on the other hand, contends that “as a critic I have the right to say what I want about a film. If filmmakers start getting offended, everyone will start sending us notices” — although it isn’t often that one comes across film reviews that focus on the filmmaker and cast’s personal lives rather than what is unfolding on screen.

Previously, Sunny Leone had filed a complaint with the Cyber Crime Cell against Khan for attributing false comments about rape to her, as well as tweeting derogatorily about her. A complaint was also filed against KRK for making racist remarks about the actor Dhanush when his film Raanjhana had released.

Most recently, Khan had courted Sidharth Malhotra’s ire when he tweeted in a derogatory manner about Alia Bhatt’s photo shoot for a magazine, in which she sported a swimsuit.