Footwear giant Bata has sent a legal notice to the makers of legal drama Jolly LLB 2, demanding the removal of a dialogue from the film and the trailer as well as a written apology. According to a report in DNA, Bata sent the notice to the makers for defamation and commercial disparagement. The company has taken issue with a dialogue which makes a disparaging reference to Bata shoes.
In one of the courtroom scenes in the trailer, actor Annu Kapoor tells Akshay Kumar, “Kya tum Bata ke joote pehenkar aur terrycot ka shirt pehenkar humse zabaan lada rahe hai?” (Are you going to argue with me while wearing Bata shoes and a terrycot shirt?)
According to the notice filed by Bata, the dialogue is a deliberate attempt to tarnish the image of the brand and could have been instigated by a rival brand which is endorsed by lead actor Akshay Kumar. Akshay Kumar became the brand ambassador for Sparx Footwear in 2012.
The notice asks the makers to remove the scene from film’s trailers. A written apology is also expected from the makers. The notice has been sent to the production house, Fox Star Studios India along with company directors Deepak Jacob and Amit Shah, writer-director of the movie Subhash Kapoor and the two leads Akshay Kumar and Annu Kapoor.