Days after Eros registers Corona Pyaar Hai as a film title, Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai director Rakesh Roshan says 'immature' of makers to capitalise on the current scenario
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; March 17, 2020)

When filmmaker Rakesh Roshan launched son Hrithik in Bollywood with Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai (2000), little had he known that two decades down the line, the film's title would be punned on blatantly and rather insensitively. Even as the world is reeling under the pandemic, several production houses in India have rushed to register titles pertaining to Coronavirus — one among them being Corona Pyaar Hai. The title was reportedly registered by Eros International with the Indian Film and Television Producers Council last week.

Roshan, whose directorial venture not only became the highest grosser of 2000 but also gave Bollywood one of its biggest superstars in Hrithik, is appalled at the latest development. "It's a mockery of the situation that the world is combating. It's childish and immature to do such a thing at this time. We should ignore these people as they are not thinking straight," says the director, evidently irked.

It has been heard that with the title in their kitty, the team at Eros is currently developing a script based on the current situation. Ask Roshan if he is contemplating taking legal action against them, and he dismisses the idea. "There is no similarity between the two films. Even with regard to the names, their title Corona Pyaar Hai has a different meaning to it. So, I cannot do anything about it," he shrugs.

Studios rushing to register titles inspired by real-life events is hardly new — last year, soon after the Pulwama terror attack, Bollywood producers thronged the Indian Motion Pictures Producers' Association to reserve different combinations of titles pertaining to the episode. A trade source says that Eros International probably wanted to have the first-mover advantage in this case. "It has been heard that keeping the sensitivity of the issue in mind, the makers never intended to announce the film. The team had merely applied to register the title. Of course, one wonders why they chose a name that is so similar to Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai?"

Eros remained unavailable for comment.

The title Corona Pyaar Hai is among the first to be registered by a filmmaker
Onkar Kulkarni (BOMBAY TIMES; March 15, 2020)

In the midst of all the panic about Coronavirus around the world, and now in India, some of our Bollywood filmmakers have wasted no time in grabbing the word ‘corona’ for their future movie titles. While we have seen several memes on social media where ‘corona’ has been used in Bollywood film titles for humour, we have learnt that a film title has actually been registered, giving a funny twist to the Hrithik Roshan’s 2000 superhit, Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai. It is Eros International that has gone ahead and registered Corona Pyaar Hai as a film title.

A source from IFTPC (Indian Film and Television Producer Council) informed that the production house registered Corona Pyaar Hai as their film title last week. When we contacted producer Krishika Lulla, she confirmed the news saying, “We are planning a love story set against the backdrop of the epidemic. Currently, we are fine-tuning the script and are waiting for the situation to normalise, as things have come to a standstill now. Once everything is normal, we will start the project.”

Another film body, IMPPA (Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association), too, confirms that they have also witnessed film producers rushing in to register coronabased film titles. “We have already registered one called Deadly Corona,” informed a source.

Even in the past, it has been seen that filmmakers have made a beeline to get titles registered based on real-life events and catastrophes. At the time when Article 370 was revoked, film associations had reportedly received requests for registering titles like Article 370, Kashmir Hamara Hai, Article 370 Abolished and Kashmir Mein Tiranga among others. Similarly, following the Pulwama terror attack and the Balakot air strike, titles like Abhinandan, The Air Strike Of Pulwama, India Strikes Back and Surgical Strike 2.0 were quickly registered by filmmakers keen on making movies on these subjects.