New Delhi: Leading Bollywood producers have filed a writ petition in the Delhi High Court against the media reports saying irresponsible, listing terms like “dirt”, “filth”, “scum” and “druggies” used over the past few months. The Bollywood producers faced allegations in the suicide of Sushant Singh Rajput investigation. Some of the Bollywood big producers, including Aamir Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devagan, Karan Johar, Aditya Chopra and Farhan Akhtar, have come together in the unprecedented legal action against two channels Republic TV and Times Now.

The writ petition has been filed against Republic TV, and Arnab Goswami and Pradeep Bhandari of the channel; and Times Now and its top faces Rahul Shiv Shankar and Navika Kumar. The channels used “highly derogatory words and expressions for Bollywood”, said the producers, listing terms like “dirt”, “filth”, “scum” and “druggies” used over the past few months.

The producers also complained about the channels using provocative expressions like – “It is Bollywood where the dirt needs to be cleaned”; “All the perfumes of Arabia cannot take away the stench and the stink of this filth and scum of the underbelly of Bollywood”;

“This is the dirtiest industry in the country”; and “Cocaine and LSD-drenched Bollywood”. The film industry has been in the spotlight over a drugs probe linked to the investigations into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput on June 14. Amid revelations of drug chats on phones, stars and their parties have been subjected to searing, no-holds-barred media scrutiny.

The channels as well as social media platforms must “refrain from making or publishing irresponsible, derogatory and defamatory remarks against Bollywood and its members”, the producers say. They also want the channels to stop carrying out media trials and infringing upon the privacy of members of the film industry. The producers want the court to stop reportage that violates the law. They want the channels to “withdraw, recall and take down all the defamatory content published by them against Bollywood”.

The filmmakers say Bollywood is a “distinct and well-recognized class” that is a huge source of revenue, foreign exchange and employment. The writ petition filed by the Producers Guild of India, the Cine and TV Artiste Association, Ad-Labs Films, Ajay Devgn Fflims, Anil Kapoor Film and Communication Network, Arbaaz Khan Productions, Ashutosh Gowariker Productions, Excel Entertainment, Kabir Khan Films, Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra Pictures, Reliance Big Entertainment, Rohit Shetty Pictures, Roy Kapur Productions, Vinod Chopra Films and Vishal Bhardwaj Films.