Ajay Devgn’s biographical drama, ‘Maidaan’, which releases in the theatres on Thursday, April 11, has run into a major controversy. A scriptwriter, based in Karnataka, Anil Kumar, has accused the makers of plagiarism.
As a result, a Mysuru court has ordered the makers of the film to halt its release. ‘Maidaan’ is a biopic based on the life of the former Indian football coach Syed Abdul Rahim. He put Indian football on the global map between 1952 and 1962.
Film-makers to appeal
The makers of the film have declared that they will appeal against the court order. Zee Studios and Boney Kapoor’s Bayview Projects LLP issued a statement on social media. It read, “Dear all, we have just been served the copy of the Order of the District Judge restraining the release of the film. At the outset, we would like to place on record that the said order passed by the District Judge is an ex-parte order, without giving us an opportunity of being heard.”
The statement further stated, “We were not served any notice prior to the filing of the said suit or hearing of the matter. Additionally, the said order has been passed after the release of the film and therefore, any such order passed that restrains the release of the film is infructuous under law. However, we are filing an appeal against the order before the Hon’ble High Court of Karnataka. We shall move the matter before the Hon’ble High Court for urgent reliefs in order to stay the operation of the said order.”
Scriptwriter’s plaint
The scriptwriter, who has alleged plagiarism, Anil Kumar took to LinkedIn and wrote, “In 2010, I started writing the story and in 2018, I posted a poster about this, and I got in contact with ad director Sukhdas Suryavanshi through my LinkedIn post. He called me to Bombay (Mumbai) and asked me to get the script. I have the whole chat history (sic).”
“He told me that he’d make me meet Aamir Khan, but I couldn’t meet him for certain reasons. I gave him the story and registered the same with the Screen writers Association (sic),” added Kumar.
Sukhdas Suryawanshi is an assistant director of ‘Maidaan’. Kumar further wrote, “Recently, I heard that a movie named Maidaan is getting released. I was surprised because even I have the same story. When I looked at the teaser and their statements, I got to know that it was my story. They have twisted the main story itself and made this movie. I named the story Paadakanduka.”
Kumar approached the principal district and sessions court in Mysuru. The court issued an order on April 8, asking Zee Studios to put a hold on the ‘Maidaan’ release.
His lawyer said that his client’s story was being misused and being released by Zee Studios. The next hearing on the matter will take place on April 24.
Meanwhile, the tickets for ‘Maidaan’ are available on BookMyShow, for both Mysuru and Bengaluru, hinting that the film is having a regular release in the cities.
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