Composer Palash Muchhal has taken legal action following fresh allegations by actor-producer Vidnyan Mane. According to Muchhal’s lawyer Shreyansh Mithare, Mane claimed to have borrowed ₹40 lakh to Muchhal for the film production.
Vidnyan Mane approached the police last month. A resident of Sangli claimed that Palash Muchhal cheated him ₹40 lakhs. The composer reportedly convinced Mane to invest in the film project, which never progressed. Muchhal is said to have not returned the money.
Read also | Palash Muchhal deletes IG posts with Smriti Mandhana after cheating allegations
In response, Muchhal filed a civil lawsuit seeking damages and a permanent injunction to stop what he described as “defamatory” statements against him and his family.
Muchhal denied the claims and issued a defamation notice ₹10 million crowns. The songwriter demanded that Mane clarify his statements in court on March 11.
His lawyers, Siddesh Bhole and Shreyansh Mitare, told the court that it was essentially a business dispute between two parties.
They argued that Mane’s public comments referred to an alleged incident on November 23, 2025, the day Muchhal was to marry cricketer Smriti Mandhana. The statements damaged the reputation of the composer and his relatives, the lawyers argued.
Read also | Palash Muchhal accused of duping a 34-year-old Sangli resident of ₹40,000
Justice Milind Jadhav observed that the alleged incident before the wedding did not appear to be related to a financial dispute. The wedding reference should not affect a future case, he noted.
“Palash Muchhal’s marriage was reported earlier… A third party, Vidyan Mane, has sparked a new controversy by claiming that he had lent ₹40 million for Palash. He said Palash took ₹40 lakh from him on the pretext of producing a film,” Palashe Muchhala’s lawyer Shreyansh Mithare told ANI.
“He also made allegations regarding Palash’s wedding. We sent him a defamation notice.” ₹10 million crowns. He will have to give an explanation in court on March 11. There should be an investigation as to why Vidyan Mane is doing this,” Mithare added.
What did Mane say?
“I was at the wedding celebrations when he was caught in the act with another woman in bed. Bhayanak scene tha (It was terrible), he was beaten up by Indian cricketers,” Vidnyan Mane told HT.
“The whole family is chindi chor. I thought he would get married and settle down in Sangli, but it has completely turned against me.” Mane said.
Read also | Smriti Mandhana, Palash Muchhal unfollow each other on Instagram
“When I met his mother (Amita Muchhal) last month, she said that the budget for the film’s release has now increased to ₹1.5 million. They asked me to invest more ₹10 lakh otherwise I would not get any money back. They started blackmailing me and threatening to throw me out of the film, so I was forced to file a complaint,” added the actor-producer.
Bombay High Court order
Meanwhile, the Bombay High Court has restrained Mane from making further defamatory remarks. Justice Milind Jadhav had earlier observed that Mane’s public remarks about Muchhal’s now annulled marriage to cricketer Smriti Mandhana were “prima facie suggestive and per se defamatory”.
“The defendant (Mane) is restrained from making any further references and insinuations of the kind and nature impugning the plaintiff (Muchhal) and his mother, which are made in the said interviews, which are prima facie defamatory,” PTI quoted the court as saying.
A court order dated February 11 and issued on February 13 grants Muchhal interim relief. Further hearings will decide the outcome of the case.
After reviewing the transcripts of the interviews, the court noted that the comments were “prima facie suggestive and per se defamatory.”
“There is a direct implication of the plaintiff’s (Muchhala) family,” the HC said.
The court referred the case to March 11 for further consideration.