Hollywood producer says this about Bollywood copying American films
Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer recently shared his views on the ongoing controversy surrounding the Netflix series Squid Game and its alleged similarities with the 2009 Bollywood film Luck. The producer of successful franchises like Top Gun and Pirates of the Caribbean spoke to ETimes about the fine line between plagiarism and inspiration in the film industry.
'Very hard to draw line between plagiarism and inspiration'
While viewers found similarities between Top Gun and Fighter, Thugs of Hindostan was allegedly inspired from Pirates of the Caribbean. When asked about the distinction between plagiarism and inspiration, Bruckheimer responded, "Well, it's a very hard line to draw. It's kind of very flexible." "A lot of people have taken some of the things that we do and studied them and tried to recreate them. But, it's always the director and the cinematographer who can make something really special."
'Squid Game' vs 'Luck': What's the controversy about?
Indian filmmaker Soham Shah has accused Squid Game of plagiarizing his film Luck. According to lawsuit documents obtained by TMZ, Shah alleges that the Korean series is a "rip-off" of his film. He claims to have written the story for Luck in 2006, with the film releasing in July 2009. However, Squid Game creator Hwang Dong Hyuk has stated that he conceived the idea for the series in 2008.
Netflix denies plagiarism allegations
In response to Shah's allegations, Netflix has issued a statement denying any wrongdoing. The network stated, "This claim has no merit. 'Squid Game' was created by and written by 'Hwang Dong Hyuk' and we intend to defend this matter vigorously."
Netflix faces another lawsuit over 'Baby Reindeer'
Apart from the Squid Game controversy, Netflix is also dealing with a $170M lawsuit filed over the Emmy-nominated show Baby Reindeer. Fiona Harvey, the plaintiff, alleges that the show's stalker character Martha Scott was based on her interactions with its creator, writer, and star Richard Gadd. A federal judge has reportedly set a trial date of May 6, 2025 for this case.