A Hyderabad-based doctor has reportedly filed a defamation suit against Tollywood actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu over the use of his hospital's name in her movie 'Yashoda'.
Although it opened in theatres on November 11, the film's release on streaming services has been postponed until December 19 while the civil court hears the matter.
Apart from the actress, the filmmakers have also been accused by Dr. Mohan Kumar, owner of the Eva IVF Hospital, of allegedly "misusing the name and harming the reputation of the hospital." According to sources, the court has sent notifications requesting their responses.
The movie is directed by Hari Shankar and Harish Narayan, and produced by Sivalenka Krishna Prasad. It was shot in Tamil and Telugu simultaneously and later dubbed in the other three languages.
In the movie, Samantha Prabhu's Yashoda, the title character, adopts a child in exchange for money to pay for her sister's medical treatment. As per the narrative of the movie, she is transported to a hospital called "Eva," where she learns that several other women at the hospital are becoming surrogates because they are impoverished and need money much as she does.
The movie centers around a business that unlawfully "rents out wombs," despite the fact that commercial surrogacy is prohibited in India.
Samantha had recently revealed that she was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition called Myositis.
Sam will next be seen in Shaakuntalam, a mythological drama written and directed by Gunasekhar. The movie also stars Tollywood's Icon Star Allu Arjun's daughter Allu Arha in a pivotal role.