Shirish Kunder’s psychological thriller Kriti, which has been sailing on troubled waters ever since allegations of plagiarism were made by Nepalese filmmaker Aneel Neupane, had been taken off YouTube since 28 June.
And now Muvizz.com, the producers of Kriti, have said in an official statement that they have filed for a defamation suit against Bob. They also claim to have “extensive proof” of shooting for Kriti in February 2016, and have stressed that “a takedown on YouTube is not a proof of wrongdoing but only that the matter is being investigated.”
Kunder also sent a legal notice to Neupane on 27 June, stating, “Assuming your position is correct that the two films are so similar, then it is you who has infringed our client’s copyright.”
Now, both the films have been taken down from YouTube.
But the war continues on Twitter - between the filmmakers and their fans. Some have even pointed out remarkable similarities in the poster of Kriti and that of a Japanese film, Gekijourei.
#KritiSeeksTruth started trending on Twitter with fans on both sides of the debate tweeting about it.
Gauahar Khan also tweeted her support to Shirish Kunder.
Shirish has demanded an “unconditional apology” from the Nepalese director. The co-producers in their statement also said that such claims will only help to give more publicity and popularity to Kriti and fans will soon be able to enjoy the film when it is back online.
We hope so too.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)