Tamil films under legal scrutiny for plagiarism

Plagiarism cases have plagued the entire film industry, be it Hollywood, Bollywood or Kollywood. Big filmmakers and big budget films are often pierced by a legal dagger of plagiarism. Several films have witnessed scrutiny for copying either scripts or scenes or songs. We compile a list of all the big films that fell in the eyes of the law for plagiarism...

- Aarti Iyengar

Papanasam
Kamal Hassan’s films are like a magnet for controversies. With every film he produces or acts in, the controversial ink follows its mark. Papanasam was also one of the films that came under legal scrutiny for plagiarism. According to a report on Thenewindianexpress.com, an author Satheesh Paul filed a suit against the producers and director Jeethu Joseph for violating the copyrights of his novel, Oru Mazhakalathu. However, with the support of the film producers and Kamal Hassan, director Jeethu Joseph was able to fight the case victoriously.

Kaththi
Blockbuster film Kaththi starring Vijay and helmer AR Murugadoss also faced stings of controversy over plagiarism. According to Firstpost.com, after the release of the film, it went through major plagiarism charges by a struggling assistant director, Minju Gopi. Reportedly, Gopi alleged that Murugadoss ripped his story and stole his story idea. The report also stated that Minju Gopi filed a case at the Chennai City Civil Court stating the film plot was his idea. Even though it was mired in a web of plagiarism charges, director AR Murugadoss tweeted, “Kaththi hits 100 in 12 days, still going strong. Total Rs 100.7crore. India: 80.5 Cr Overseas: 20.2 Cr. Thanks to all audience & media.” [sic]

Madras
Karthi and Lakshmi Menon-starrer Madras was all set to release in September 2014 when it was charged with a suit of plagiarism. According to Behindwoods.com, the producer of a film called Karuppar Nagaram filed a case against Madras, stating that it was a copy of their film. However, the report also stated that the stories were totally different and that there was no proof behind the claims.

Lingaa
Superstar Rajinikanth’s film Lingaa, also starring Bollywood actress Sonakshi Sinha, faced the wrath of controversy. According to a report, a Madurai based filmmaker, KV Ravi Rathinam claimed ownership for the story. However, KS Ravikumar, who directed the film, and Rajinikanth himself filed a counter affidavit claiming that Lingaa is based on a story written by Ponkumaran. The film was released on its scheduled date.

Enthiraan
Superstar Rajinikanth’s magnum opus Enthiraan also ran into legal trouble because of its name. The film, also starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, came under scrutiny of Delhi based filmmaker, Arun Kukreja, who alleged that the film’s title was stolen from his film of 1996 that had the same title, reported Hindustantimes.com. However, the report also stated that the filmmakers of Enthiraan claimed that the title was registered with actor Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment and that the actor gave them the title in goodwill.