Actor Salman Khan’s attempt to stop the release of ‘Kala Hiran: The Battle for Legacy’ reached the Delhi High Court on Thursday. The film’s producer argued that the movie was not yet in a “releasable” form, while Khan sought an injunction against its release and more than Rs 2 crore in damages for alleged defamation and violation of his personality rights.Justice Jyoti Singh sought a response from producer Amit Jani and gave him two weeks to reply to Khan’s suit. The matter will next be heard on September 30.Jani’s counsel raised “serious objections” to the suit, arguing that the film had neither received the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) certification nor reached a stage where it could be released. The producer also said even its trailer had not yet been issued.Khan, however, has mounted a much wider challenge to the project. He has sought orders restraining the release, streaming or broadcast of the film, along with the removal of its teaser, the destruction of posters, hoardings and other promotional material, and an unconditional retraction and apology over allegedly defamatory statements.The actor has named Jani, Jani FireFox Films, director Bharat Shrinate and casting director Akshay Pandey as defendants.At the heart of Khan’s case is his allegation that Kala Hiran draws heavily from the blackbuck hunting case involving him and uses a character resembling him, along with visual elements associated with his public identity, without his consent.Khan has claimed that he first learnt about the proposed film in April and alleged that its portrayal goes beyond artistic reference by suggesting links between him and the underworld. The film’s publicity material, according to the suit, is defamatory and unlawfully exploits his personality rights.The actor has also brought the pending blackbuck litigation into his challenge. He contends that proceedings connected with the case remain before the Rajasthan High Court and the Supreme Court and that a film built around the controversy could prejudice his right to a fair trial.His suit points to a poster released on May 29, which allegedly depicts a character closely resembling Khan and wearing a distinctive bracelet associated with him.A second poster released on June 8 allegedly went further, showing a dead blackbuck alongside a person Khan claims was intended to represent him.According to the actor, subsequent promotional material featured a protagonist resembling him and exploited identifiable elements of his persona. He has also cited media reports and statements allegedly made by the filmmakers to argue that the project is unmistakably connected to the blackbuck case.The dispute had escalated even before reaching court. Khan says he initially served a legal notice on Jani, but alleges that the producer publicly mocked it, tore it up during an interview available online and subsequently claimed on X that he was being threatened by Khan and the underworld.