Deepika Padukone's and Vikrant Massey's upcoming film Chhapaak was reportedly dragged to court over creative issues in December 2019. According to reports, this Meghna Gulzar directorial was taken to Bombay High Court by a writer named Rakesh Bharti, who claimed that the story is similar to the one he originally penned. In a suit filed by Rakesh, he claimed that he had conceptualised the idea and script of his film, tentatively titled Black Day and also got it registered with the Indian Motion Pictures Producers' Association (IMPPA) back in February 2015. In December 2019, he approached the Bombay High Court and demanded a stay on its release until he gets due credit.
In response to the petition filed by Rakesh, Meghna has reportedly filed an affidavit. In the affidavit, the filmmaker claimed that the suit was "wholly misconceived, frivolous, legally untenable and unmeritorious." In the statement, Meghna reportedly stated that true events and incidents aren't entitled to copyright protection. "In the present case, the plaintiff (Bharti) has sought the protection of an idea of a film based on the story of an acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal. True facts and events are not entitled to copyright protection," the affidavit read, as per reports.
Directed by Meghna, produced by Fox Star Studios, Deepika’s KA Production, Meghna and Govind Singh Sandhu’s Mriga Films, written by Atika Chohan and Meghna Gulzar, Chhapaak is a tale of an acid attack survivor who battles against the social evildoers. The film is scheduled to release on January 10, 2020.
(Source: India Today)
