Govinda-starrer Bollywood movie Naught@40 will be released April 15, the Delhi High Court ruled Thursday, allowing the screening of the film which had been held up due to a monetary dispute between the producers. "The defendant Anuj Sharma (producer) is allowed to release his film on April 15," Justice V.K. Jain said.The film's release was delayed as co-producer Sandeep Kapoor fell out with Sharma and approached the court in 2009 seeking recovery of a loan of Rs.1.32 crore which he had allegedly advanced to Sharma. The court allowed Sharma to go ahead with the film's release after his lawyer deposited a demand draft of Rs.1 crore with the court registry.
However, the court declined Kapoor's plea to release the amount to him. "The question of release of money to the petitioner (Kapoor) would be decided after the entire amount (Rs.1.32 crore) is deposited with the court," Justice Jain said.
The court also asked Sharma to pay the remaining amount by April 6. Earlier in January, Govinda wanted the project to see the light of the day as it had been delayed for two years due to an extended shooting schedule and other production issues.
The film, which also stars Yuvika Chaudhry and Sayali Bhagat, is about a 40-year-old man (Govinda) who arrives from London to India to find a suitable match for himself. Directed by Jagmohan Mundhra, it was expected to release by mid-February, but was later postponed to March.