Makers of 'Ujda Chaman' accuse Bala of copyright violation
Ayushmann Khurana's upcoming Bala might be in legal trouble as the makers of Sunny Singh starrer Ujda Chaman are exploring legal options over copyright violations. Both films feature a bald protagonist and are based on the issue of pre-mature balding. The trailer of Ayushmann's Bala that released yesterday possesses striking similarity with the earlier released trailer of Ujda Chaman which was pitched as the first film with a bald protagonist. Interestingly Bala which was earlier scheduled to release on November 15 has been now rescheduled for a November 7, a day before Ujda Chaman hits the theatre on November 8.
Ujda Chaman director Abhishek Pathak highlights that his film is an official remake of Kannada blockbuster Ondu Motteya Kathe
In an interview with Mumbai Mirror, he said, "I believe good stories need to be seen by maximum number of people. My company Panorama Studios always looks out for such gems. Alone and Drishyam are official remakes by us. We acquired Ondu Motteya Kathe in the last quarter of 2018, with a clear intention to release my version within a year." He also said that his team suggested November 8 for release and their campaign commenced. In contrast, the Bala team has been changing their release date, from November 22 to November 15 to November 7, which is a day before his film. He think that it will harm both the films and the industry at large."
Abhishek slammed Bala makers for changing the film's release date, '“At least let it be healthy competition. In this case, even their poster design is similar"
Reacting to Abhishek Pathak's allegations the makers of Bala released a statement that said, "Bala has been in the works for several months now as it has been widely reported in the press. The film is very close to our hearts as a project because we want to meaningfully contribute to the conversation on challenging social themes of our times, like the widespread stigmatization of baldness and dark skin. If there are multiple films which deal with one of these themes, it's all more variety for the viewers to choose from which can never be a bad thing. It's quite unfortunate if someone, especially a fellow filmmaker, sees this as anything but a positive for audiences. Maddock stands firmly by the originality of its film, and will back it's project all the way, including through legal recourse if need be."
