Steals a six-day march on the Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer which also features a bald lead
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 24, 2019)

Mirror was the first to report (October 11) that the Sunny Singh-starrer Ujda Chaman and Bala, featuring Ayushmann Khurrana, are locked in a legal tussle over copyright violation. Makers of the former have alleged that Bala bears uncanny resemblance with their film, which is the official remake of Kannada comedy, Ondu Motteya Kathe. Both the films revolve around a bald protagonist. Abhishek Pathak who makes his directorial debut with Ujda Chaman was even more upset when producer Dinesh Vijan advanced the release date of Bala from November 15 to November 7—a day prior to his own unveiling.

Even as the dispute is being heard in High Court, we have learnt that Ujda Chaman will now hit screens on November 1, giving it a six-day clear run over Bala. “Since I had announced my film first, it is better to release a week before them and enjoy a solo release,” explains Abhishek, who has produced the film with father Kumar Mangat.

But won’t he be taking on Sajid Nadiadwala’s star-studded Housefull 4 which opens this Friday? “Both films appeal to different audiences and by then many would have seen Housefull. There is a demand for our subject and November 1 is a good date,” he reasons.

The debutant director has been vocal about the fact that Bala, with Ayushmann as the protagonist, is the bigger film. So, won’t people wait a week to see that? “No one can predict how many people will watch a film but today they are open to fresh content and mine is a good film,” he asserts.

And what about the marketing plan? “We have things in place and there’s nothing to worry about,” he assures. On the case against Bala makers, Abhishek says, “The matter is subjudice so I can’t say what the court has demanded or requested.” Will he now withdraw the case given that the two films will not be clashing? “There are two different issues here—one is the release date, the other is copyright violation. I will leave the latter to the court to decide,” he signs off.