Plagiarism row: 'Maidaan' hit with stay order in Mysore
The biographical Hindi film Maidaan, which was released nationwide on Thursday (April 11), has become embroiled in plagiarism allegations. Starring Ajay Devgn, the movie depicts the life of former Indian football coach Syed Abdul Rahim. Anil Kumar, a scriptwriter from Karnataka, has accused the filmmakers of plagiarism. Consequently, a Mysore court has ordered the producers to delay the film's release until further notice. However, online ticket-selling websites are showing tickets available in Mysore.
Scriptwriter gave script to 'Maidaan' AD
Kumar publicly accused Maidaan makers of plagiarism in a LinkedIn post. "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 and asked me to get the script. I have the whole chat history." Suryavanshi is an assistant director on Maidaan. The scribe gave Suryavanshi his script and got it registered with the Screenwriters Association.
Mysore court orders delay of 'Maidaan' release
"Recently, I heard that a movie named Maidaan is getting released. I was surprised because even I have the same story," read Kumar's post. Following this, Kumar sought legal action in Mysore's district court. On April 8, reportedly, the court instructed Zee Studios to postpone the release. Kumar's lawyer stated, "The story which was registered at Screen Writers Association is being misused and being released by Zee Studios and the court has ordered to halt the release."
Producers to appeal against court's order
Zee Studios and Boney Kapoor's Bayview Projects LLP have responded to the court's order by stating they were not given a chance to present their case before the order was issued. They said in a social media post on Wednesday night, "We were not served any notice prior to the filing of the said suit or hearing of the matter." The producers also announced their intention to appeal this order at the Hon'ble High Court of Karnataka.
Read producers' statement here. Next hearing set for April 24
'Maidaan' faces legal issues over unpaid dues
In addition to the plagiarism allegations, Maidaan is also embroiled in legal issues concerning unpaid dues. Ninad Nayampally, a camera equipment supplier, has filed a case against the film's producer, Kapoor, for non-payment. The court ordered Kapoor to provide a bank guarantee for the principal amount plus interest within eight days. Kapoor's lawyer, Ameet Naik, stated they plan to challenge this order and clarified that the dispute was over the interest amount, not the principal payment.
