On 5 March, The Quint reported that Devi, a short film starring Kajol, Shruti Haasan, Neha Dhupia and a host of other faces, was actually very similar to another student film. Titled Four, the short film has been written, directed and edited by Abhishek Rai and produced by AndaKurry Productions and Marwah Films. Devi, on the other hand has been directed by Priyanka Banerjee and produced by Ryan Stephen and Niranjan Iyengar.
Watch both the films here:
The similarities between the two films are extremely striking. Four is about a few women who have been raped and killed and then come together under the same roof in their afterlife. Devi, too, has the same premise except that the film has better production quality, because it has bigger names and so a higher budget.
In an interview with Film Companion, host Anupama Chopra asked Kajol and producer Niranjan Iyengar about the allegations and their response was extremely cavalier. Here’s what Niranjan had to say,
Both the films are in public domain, people should watch and decide for themselves. It is not for me to comment on the similarities and dissimilarities.Niranjan Iyengar, Writer-Producer
He added, “This is a issue we feel strongly about, we saw merit in the script and so we’ve made it. The rest is for people to decide.”
When probed further he said, “Priyanka (director) brought the script to us. It’s a registered script and it came to us in November 2018. We put it together and now it’s out for people to watch.”
Finally Anupama asks him if he’s watched Four to which he says, “I wouldn’t want to comment further.” Through the conversation, Kajol keeps mum.
Here’s what the problem is - you can’t have such a casual response when a serious allegation like plagiarism is thrown at you. Either you deny the allegation, or explain the similarity. Dodging the question by saying that ‘it’s in the public domain’ is shying away from taking responsibility for your actions.
And what’s sad is that nothing really can be done about this. Abhishek put up a Facebook post conveying his displeasure but beyond that nothing can be done.
A lot of powerful names in the industry get away with plagiarism, and the only way to out is to probably take the makers to court which is a long winding route.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)