Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; February 13, 2014)

Filmmakers Vipul Shah and Pooja Bhatt have locked horns over the rights to the title, Holiday. While Bhatt has the rights to the title, it has emerged that Shah has now gone ahead and registered the title with another association.

“Vipul approached me last year seeking to use the title Holiday. But I had to turn him down as I need to explore the potential of my 2006 film on satellite and other platforms. He then approached the Film and Television Producers Guild of India with an application for the titles, Holiday and Holiday — A Soldier Is Never Off Duty. The guild rejected that application since my partners on Holiday — Shreya Creations — have duly registered the title with them till 2016,” says Bhatt.

She adds that Vipul Shah has now approached Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association (IMPAA) with the same application and has somehow managed to secure the title with the tag line. “My memories of the Thank You fiasco where UTV got the title through IMPAA in a similar fashion still haunt me. This behaviour is unbecoming of a filmmaker like Vipul Shah – it is an unethical move that exposes our flawed system of governance yet again. How will the film industry be taken seriously by the government of India when filmmakers loot and steal without hesitation from their own?” she says.

When contacted, Vipul Shah admitted that he had approached Pooja Bhatt for the title. “ After she refused me, I went to the IMPPA and registered the title, Holiday — A Soldier Is Never Off Duty. If Pooja still has issue with the title, I am willing to meet her and resolve the same.”