Srimanthudu in plagiarism row

Koratala Siva’s 2015 blockbuster film Srimanthudu starring Mahesh Babu has become embroiled in a legal controversy. Writer Sarath Chandra has been pursuing a copyright infringement case against director Koratala Siva, producer Naveen, and Mahesh Babu for seven years. He has accused Koratala Siva of copying his 2012 story Chachenta Prema which was published in a Telugu monthly magazine (Swathi).

‘No compromise’

Sarath says he had filed a complaint with the Telugu Cine Writers Association (TCWA) after he watched the film in 2016. He had wanted to make a film on that story and was shocked on seeing the Koratala directorial. He says the Association found his grievance justified. Some ‘influential people’ in the film fraternity called him for compromise, but he did not agree, the writer adds.

“I also learnt that Srimanthudu was going to be made in Hindi, so I asked the filmmakers to credit me as ‘story writer.’ I also asked them to make one of my other stories into a Telugu film and compensate me as a writer. But that did not happen,” Sarath claims.

Court process

He then filed a case against filmmakers in Nampally Criminal Court in 2017, alleging that his story was copied. The Court found Koratala Siva liable for criminal proceedings. Koratala then moved the Telangana High Court, which asked the TCWA to submit detailed reports on the matter. The TCWA submitted a report in favour of Sarath and the High Court upheld the Nampally court ruling, Sarath said.

“Subsequently, director Koratala Siva appealed to the Supreme Court in a (Special Leave Petition) to quash the High Court decision,” the writer said. On January 29th, 2024, “the Supreme Court , in its judgement, dismissed the Special Leave Petition. As such, Koratala Siva is liable for criminal proceedings,” according to Sarath.

‘Not for money’

The writer claims that his fight was not for money but for his rights as a writer. “I haven’t compromised on my rights, and have been fighting relentlessly. I am waiting to see how things will unfold. I request industry bigwigs to look into the matter,” he says.

Meanwhile…

‘We stand by the uniqueness of our story’

The filmmakers release a statement, deny the allegation

We address the discussion around Mr Koratala Siva’s Srimanthudu amidst claims of similarity to the novel Chachentha Prema. Both works, existing in the public domain, showcase distinct narratives with no overlap, a fact readily verifiable by those who examine the book and film. As the matter is currently under legal review, with no hearings or verdicts to date, we urge the media and commentators to refrain from premature conclusions.

The statement further read, “We emphasize the importance of basing discourse on informed comparison and legal outcomes. We stand firmly by the uniqueness of Srimanthudu and our core idea of adopting a village and encourage whomsoever interested to personally assess the two works. Our appeal is for patience and trust in the legal process, respecting the principles of fairness and integrity.”