Upala KBR (MID-DAY; September 6, 2019)

Days after the trailer of Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer Dream Girl released, the makers have been accused of plagiarism by Janak Toprani (right). Toprani argues that his 2017 release, Call For Fun, bears resemblance to Balaji Telefilms' production, which sees Khurrana slip into the appearance of a woman. He claims to have approached Balaji with his script on two occasions but was turned down. "After they let go of the project, I got a financier and [made] the movie last year," he says, quick to add that Ekta Kapoor was not part of the discussion he had with the production.

He took action after a friend intimated him about the resemblance between the films. "After the trailer released, we took a week to consult a few lawyers. Then, I tried to call Nachiket Pantvaidya [CEO, Balaji] but he did not answer my call," says the director, who has shared the subsequent e-mails he wrote to Balaji, with mid-day. "If Dream Girl is similar to my film, I will file a legal case. I want credit as the writer and royalty rights."

When contacted, Dream Girl director Raaj Shaandilyaa (left) took ownership of the film's concept. "The idea belongs to me and my co-writer since 2010. We have also registered it. If the concerned director's film was not commercially successful, why would anybody replicate his idea?"