WEEKEND SPECIAL

Plagiarism to title rows: Big films are easy preys in Kollywood

vishwaroopam A still from Kamal Haasan's 'Vishwaroopam'

Tamil cinema and legal problems have apparently become inextricable. Several big projects are targeted with cases being filed against them seeking a stay, that too, just days ahead of their scheduled release. 

Mostly, plagiarism charges and title issues are the base of such cases. As a result, makers of these movies face last minute hearings in courts and eventually the flicks hit the screens after much travails. In some cases, 'deals' are being made with the opposite side to 'settle' the legal issues, it is learnt. As huge money is involved in the production of a film, any delay would lead to big losses.

A producer on condition of anonymity said, “We are really scared when the release date nears. We never know from when and for what a legal notice would be served on us to stall the movie's release. Crores of rupees invested by us and the hard labour of hundreds of people in the cast and the crew are put to stake.”

He added: “Besides financiers going to the court seeking repayment of money or assistant directors filing plagiarism cases, films are also exposed to legal issues due to half-baked cases filed by cultural and religious associations without any understanding (of the film). A few of them would be politically motivated, too. However, on many occasions, it is a few greedy men who put pressure on producers by filing such cases to make some quick money through out-of-the-court settlement.”

Industry watcher Ramanujam, however, said: “Some do this for their own publicity. A few producers promote their films this way as a lot will be written in the media about the film if a case is filed against it. Any publicity is good publicity for producers as long as it brings audience to theatres in today's competitive world, specially when piracy poses a big threat to them.”

Here we take a look at three big stars whose films always have run through rough weather as a slew of cases were filed against them before their release. 

Rajinikanth 

Rajinikanth's films, right from Baba to the upcoming Kaala, were victims of this battle. Even before Kaala went on floors, a case was filed against it. A city civil court recently asked the film's director Pa Ranjth to respond to allegations of plagiarism filed by another filmmaker Rajashekhar. The petitioner, who had requested the court to stop the movie's shoot, had claimed in his petition that Kaala Karikalan was the title of his movie and that he had planned to make it with Rajinikanth years ago. 

kabali A still from 'Kabali'

The superstar's last film Kabali, too, faced the heat as a distributor filed a case seeking a stay on its release citing the loss he had incurred in Rajinikanth's earlier venture Lingaa. Another petition was filed in the Madras High Court, seeking a ban on the release of Kabali for the film's alleged excessive ticket pricing.

Rajinikanth was even summoned by a Madurai court in connection with a charge that the story of his film Lingaa was stolen from another writer.  “Anything against Rajinikanth will get media glare. Hence such cases against him are frequent,” said sources close to the actor.

Kamal Haasan

Kamal Haasan may be called the darling of controversies in Tamil cinema. All his recent films—Manmadhan Ambu, Uthama Villain, Papanasam and Thoongavanam—had to cross legal hurdles before hitting the screens. And, not to forget the travails that he had faced to get his Vishwaroopam cleared.

uttamavillain A still from Uthama Villain

In a recent interview, the actor said controversies and legal woes always followed him and would continue for the rest of his career. He said: “I feel I am always targeted. It has happened in the past, too. For instance, people objected the title of my film Mumbai Express. They said the title was not in Tamil, but what is the Tamil word for Mumbai? In an earlier case, they didn’t let me name one of my films Sandiyar.”

Kamal’s spy thriller Vishwaroopam was embroiled in controversies after a few Muslim groups felt they were portrayed in bad light. The same film earned the wrath of the distributors after Kamal commissioned an idea to release the film via DTH platform on the same day of its theatrical release. 

Vijay

Vijay's films including Thuppakki, Kaththi and Thalaiva had faced several hurdles before their release. While Thalaivaa missed its release date and hit the screens later, it faced threats from an unknown group, which warned of bomb attacks at theatres if the film was shown. Vijay's clarification that it was not a political film was not of help. 

thupakki A still from Thuppakki

His latest release Mersal found itself in the middle of a storm after a case was filed alleging that a similar title (Mersal Aayiten) was registered by a producer in 2014. However, the petition was dismissed by the Madras High Court. Thuppaki faced a similar trouble over its title a few years ago.

Mersal is now facing protest from the BJP over “incorrect” references on GST and Digital India. A group of doctors has decided to boycott the film alleging that they were shown in poor light.

“Vijay's films are soft targets these days. Any films of his is challenged by a group or individual in court. We are disappointed over it,” says Murthy, a fan of the actor.

Target biggies

S.S. Rajamouli's magnum opus Baahubali witnessed some legal trouble in Tamil Nadu, as a community group alleged that its members were portrayed in bad light. Industry trackers feel that big films are targeted because of many reasons, including publicity and money. “Only a few of such cases were genuine,” they said.

baahubali A still from Baahubali

What is the way out?

The best way to overcome the issue is by tightening rules in the industry, said a filmmaker. Title tussles can be resolved if filmmakers are made to register them only at one place—Tamil Film Producers Council. Currently they can be registered at Producers Guild also. “Also, those titles registered should be made available in public domain like an exclusive website. Similarly, plagiarism cases can be resolved only if the stories are registered well in advance with Directors Association,” says Kumar, an assistant filmmaker.

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