It was like one battle after another, and winning this case was like winning an Oscar” – that’s how Sujoy Ghosh describes his decade-long battle in court over the plagiarism accusations against his film Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh (2016) . Now, after the case was quashed last month, he is revisiting the ordeal.

At a discussion hosted by the Screenwriters Association in Mumbai, Ghosh recalled the nightmare that the case caused.

Ghosh, who wrote and directed the film, said the complainant had first approached the SWA, which found no connection between the two scripts. He then went to court, allegedly concealing this. Ghosh said he discovered the SWA verdict later after missing the email and submitted it in court, adding that the complainant was a serial litigator.

He shared, “In 2016, we had just released Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh, which is the sequel to Kahaani, and Robin da (Robin Bhatt), who was part of the SWA, called me and said, ‘ Arey tune kuch kiya kya?’ I said, ‘What did I do?’ He said, ‘There is a gentleman who is accusing you of copying his script.’ I didn’t take it seriously because I had not. So I said, ‘No, I didn’t,’ and I gave all my details to Robin da.”

He explained, “I didn’t realize it. I didn’t take it seriously because it’s like somebody tells you, ‘you killed that person.’ ‘No, I haven’t!’ Why should I take it seriously? And that was my biggest mistake. And then suddenly, I had a criminal case against me because IP in our country is treated as a criminal case. So if I accuse you of plagiarizing – and that’s a big word – then a criminal case can be filed. Initially, I didn’t take it seriously. It’s like a little snowball that starts gathering momentum. It piles up, grows bigger, and before you realize it – boom! It has hit you. I was like, ‘yeh kya ho raha hai?’ It was one battle after another. It kept growing. The Supreme Court also took a lot of time. And thanks to the court, we got a judgment stating that whenever someone accuses another of copying any work, certain steps must be followed before making such a claim.”

After Kahaani 2 was released, a case of copyright violation was filed against writer-director Sujoy Ghosh. The complainant, Umesh Prasad Mehta, had written a script for the film Sabak. He alleged that Ghosh had copied that script for Kahaani 2. A criminal complaint followed, and a June 7, 2018 summoning order by the Chief Judicial Magistrate triggered a legal battle that lasted nearly a decade.

In March 2026, the SC quashed the copyright infringement case, noting that Ghosh’s script had prior registration and that the complaint was baseless. Ghosh told the SC that the complainant was a serial litigator. He added that the complainant had approached the SWA, which found no similarity between the scripts and cautioned the complainant, but he allegedly concealed this verdict before proceeding with the case. 

Writer Preeti Mamgain, who was hosting the session, and writer Jyoti Kapoor, then convenor of the SWA in Sujoy’s case, explained that regardless of who files a complaint – producer, director or writer – the SWA calls both parties. “We listen to both sides. Jo bhi verdict hota hai, we send it to both parties,” they said.

Mamgain added, “We have had cases where someone went directly to court, and the court sent the script to us.” Sujoy said, “The biggest mistake I made, which I would suggest to all fellow writers, was not taking it seriously. I didn’t give it the seriousness it deserved. There is no point in thinking you are safe because you know you are innocent.”

Despite being noticed for a handful roles in Bollywood, Parambrata Chattopadhyay on not being swayed by the Hindi film industry
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; June 21, 2020)

His acclaimed act as an aide to Vidya Balan's character in the 2012 drama, Kahaani, made makers of Hindi films instantly sit up and take notice of him. But, Bengali actor Parambrata Chattopadhyay wasn't one to be swayed by the glamour attached with Bollywood. "Many people thought I would shift to Mumbai and do more Hindi films, but I am an actor and a director, and primarily belong to the Bengali film industry. I am happy doing Bengali films, and occasionally, a Hindi project," says the actor, who can be persuaded to take up a project from the Hindi film industry if it appeases his heart.

One such offering was the Anushka Sharma-backed Anvita Dutt directorial venture, Bulbbul. The supernatural period thriller, which drops on Netflix on June 24, sees the actor play a "character full of intrigue". The offering also has him collaborate with Sharma for the second time, after the duo shared screen space in the horror film, Pari. "When shooting for Pari, I was relatively new to the Hindi film [industry]. [Anushka and I] spent a lot of time doing workshops. I enjoyed the atmosphere on the set and was looking forward to working with [her team] again. She had dropped in when we were shooting for Bulbbul. It was good to reconnect with her as well as her brother, Karnesh [co-producer]."

Sharma's last production, Paatal Lok is being touted as one among the best to have released this year. Inevitably then, cinephiles have their eyes trained on Bulbbul, which promises to be an equally gritty offering. According to Chattopadhyay, Sharma has been "handpicking projects that are pushing the envelope, which provides actors from regional films to showcase their talent."

It was Dutt who roped him for this series. "I said yes immediately. Though she is a debutant, she didn't need my advice. She is confident about her craft," says Chattopadhyay, who is also working on a biopic on legendary actor, Soumitra Chatterjee.

Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; October 12, 2019)

Those familiar with director Sujoy Ghosh’s work are mostly in awe of his film’s setting. Kahaani was gorgeously shot in Kolkata and Badla was set in Scotland.

Talk about the way he used the backdrop of Kolkata so aesthetically for Kahaani, and the director explains that he prefers shooting in places that he is familiar with. “I missed shooting in Kolkata during Badla, but that film demanded a certain setting and Scotland was perfect. I haven’t travelled much in life. Within India, I am very familiar with Kolkata and Mumbai, outside of that, I have travelled around the UK. If I have to set a film outside India, I will only do it at a place that I know well, hence we chose Scotland for Badla. Also, my stories decide the setting. For instance, the characters in Badla are independent people, who do their chores like cleaning, cooking and all that on their own. I needed an environment which supported that. In India, most of us don’t do all that, so a location outside our country worked for it. The story leads the way, even when it comes to picking the location to shoot at.”

The actor isn’t keen to dedicate time to a role unless it’s something extraordinary
Pooja Sharma (HINDUSTAN TIMES; October 10, 2019)

Vidya Balan is an actor who defies all Bollywood heroine stereotypes, both on screen and off it. The characters she portrays are always women who dream big and dare to express themselves, whether in films such as Ishqiya (2010), The Dirty Picture (2011), the Kahaani series, Tumhari Sulu (2017) or her latest, Mission Mangal. The 40-year-old actor’s upcoming projects are also along similar lines, for instance Vidya will play the late writer and ‘human computer’ Shakuntala Devi, in her next. Excerpts from a chat:

Does the success of Mission Mangal encourage you to take up newer content?
I am so grateful for its success. I received so much love for it. I knew it would turn out to be a good film. Everyone loved it. They said how my character was reflective of every Indian woman who balances work at home and work outside. Now, my focus is only on Shakuntala.

You’ve mentioned how Shakuntala Devi’s personality was quite fun, and you’re having a ball playing the role. However, would you like to essay the opposite, an out-and-out negative role? Are you an audience for dark cinema?
Absolutely! But, I am not always in the mood to watch the darker stuff. I am okay to watch it in the confines of my home, when you are binge-watching. But when I go to the theatres I like to watch happy stuff. When you are going with a group of people, you want it to be a happy experience. So, unless I was doing it for a platform, I think I’d choose the lighter, brighter stuff over everything else. Having said that, I don’t have set rules. If something really excites me as an actor, I’d go ahead and do it.

The Kahaani series has been one of your biggest hits. Is there any scope to turn it into a bigger franchise?
Sujoy (Ghosh; director) keeps threatening me that he will write Kahaani 3 (laughs), but he hasn’t written it. I am also waiting! Of course, we would love to go ahead with the franchise. It’s crucial that we first find the right story.

You’ve co-produced a short film this year. Any plans of turning full-time film producer?
This was not on the cards at all. Short films have no budget. So, Ronnie Screwvala offered me the producer credit as barter. There was no scope to learn as a producer, and I don’t plan on doing this any further. With due respect, it’s not of interest to me. I am only interested in being an actor. My interests are different; they’re more creative.

Would you want to take up something on the digital platform?
I am commitment phobic. That’s why unless something blows my mind, I can’t commit to so many months (laughs).

Rachana Dubey (BOMBY TIMES; October 8, 2019)

Call it Vijaya Dashami, Bijoya, or Dussehra — the festival is celebrated with fervour in most parts of India. The day underlines the victory of good over evil — a theme that has been translated on celluloid often by Bollywood filmmakers.

For decades, filmmakers have used Durga Pujo, Navratri and Dussehra celebrations as motifs or as backdrops for key events in their narratives. Visuals from the festive season have often lent themselves for the creation of dance numbers, memorable scenes and sequences, replete with symbolism.

Sujoy Ghosh’s Kahaani (2012) features one of the most well-recalled, and what is considered to be one of the best amalgamations of Durga Puja into a story. The film unfolds in Kolkata, which is gearing up for the pujo, and culminates on dashami (last day of Durga puja), drawing parallels between the festival’s message — the victory of good over evil — and the story, as Bidya Bagchi (Vidya Balan) defeats her husband’s murderer.

Bring this up and Sujoy says, “The thought behind the sequence was to highlight the strength and will of a mother. I’m a huge fan of Maa Durga, because in this form of hers, she’s always with her children. For Bengalis around the world, she’s a mother — we equate her to a human being. In Kahaani, I wanted to depict that Maa arrives once a year, she listens to you and solves your problems. We threaded in a lot of stuff. The build up-to the story is pretty much like the build-up to Bijoya. The climax blended beautifully with the culmination of the pujos.”

Pradeep Sarkar’s Parineeta (2005), adapted from the eponymous Bengali novel by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, uses Durga Puja as a backdrop on two crucial occasions — once to show the love and care Lolita (Vidya Balan) has for Shekhar (Saif Ali Khan) and then to show Shekhar’s jealousy towards Lolita’s friendship with Girish (Sanjay Dutt). The film also uses the traditional dhunuchi dance as a tool for the narrative.

The filmmaker shares, “Durga Puja has often been used as a backdrop in films or as a part of the story. It only makes sense to include the festivities when there is some meaning to it. During pujo, you meet people and interact with them, and relationships also blossom. That is how we also used it in the film.”

Shoojit Sircar’s Vicky Donor (2012) briefly takes the audience pandal-hopping during Durga Puja in Delhi, to show the growing proximity between Vicky (Ayushmann Khurrana) and Ashima (Yami Gautam). The Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor-starrer, Gunday (2014), also saw the two actors sway to beats of dhols against the backdrop of Durga puja in the song Jashn-e-Ishqa.


FILMMAKERS SPIN THE NARRATIVE AROUND THE FESTIVAL
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s screen adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s Devdas (2002) shows Paro (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) and Chandramukhi (Madhuri Dixit-Nene) meeting and even dancing together. Paro is seen at Chandramukhi’s kotha, asking for mitti of her aangan to make an idol of Maa Durga for her baadi. This marks the beginning of a crucial turn in the story when Paro is forbidden from stepping out of her house.

The story of Akshay Kumar’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007) peaks in the thick of Navratri in a village in North India. The film’s climax, which sets off on ashtami, underlining the theme of good winning over evil, shows Vidya Balan as the revengeful dancer Monjulika, who is seeking protishodh (revenge) for her lover’s death. Raveena Tandon played a victim of marital violence in Kalpana Lajmi’s Daman (2001). Her character Durga vanquishes her patriarchal tormentor on dashami, freeing herself from bondage.

Vikramaditya Motwane’s Lootera (2013) opens in a traditional zamindar’s baadi celebrating Durga Puja. Sonakshi Sinha, as Paakhi, is seen enjoying a jatra with her friend in the house. Here, the celebration is more of a backdrop to show how festivals were seen as symbols of power and prestige in society those days. Elaborating on it, writer Bhavani Iyer, who wrote the screenplay, shares, “I don’t think one really sets out to put a festival into the story. A lot depends on the milieu or the household you set the story in. Maa embodies vengeance and righteous anger, and if that fits into a story, then, Durga Puja could become an ideal motif. We used pujo to define the Bengal of the 1960s when zamindari was breathing its last. The jatra that Sonakshi is watching in the film, depicts her family’s power and stronghold in a fast-changing society. It was metaphoric.”

In Kurukshetra (2000), Sanjay Dutt, who plays an honest cop, is seen wiping out evil politicians, while Dussehra firecrackers drown out the sound of gun-shots, symbolising the defeat of modern-day Raavans. Ram Leela, which is an integral part of Navratri celebrations, was also used effectively in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Delhi 6 (2009). While depicting the glorious celebrations at Delhi’s Ramleela Maidan, the narrative also delves into frictions within men from the neighbourhood.

Ashutosh Gowariker’s Swades (2004) also featured a Ramleela performance by debutant Gayatri Joshi. Here, it was a philosophical discourse — a conversation between Raavan and Sita that tries to highlight the difference between the evil and good. In a face-off sequence in Rajkumar Santoshi’s Lajja (2001), Madhuri Dixit-Nene, while playing Sita, refuses to go through an agnipariksha to prove her chastity.

More recently, Akshay Kumar, revealing his upcoming Laxmmi Bomb avatar, put out a picture with the backdrop of Maa Durga, embodying power and anger. Talking about the reducing number of instances of films using the festival as a motif, writer Bhavani Iyer says, “Kahaani was one of those films that integrated the festival so beautifully into the story. Even Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ritualistic semblance of the celebrations in Devdas was a sight. Storytelling, in the last few years, has changed. The pujas are extravagant celebrations as opposed to the lives that we lead today, which are so clinical. We’ve also begun to write our stories in a more realistic manner. That doesn’t always allow us to merge festivals and rituals with the stories.”

IN THE BYGONE ERA...
Amitabh Bachchan and Rakhee’s 1981 Bengali-Hindi bilingual Anushandhan, made in Hindi as Barsaat Ki Ek Raat, used Durga as the metaphor of triumph. As a police officer, Amitabh is seen investigating an evil father-son duo. He is even seen playing drums during Durga pujo and beating Amjad Khan at a competition.

On the other hand, is Shakti Samanta’s Amar Prem (1972), featuring Rajesh Khanna, Vinod Mehra and Sharmila Tagore. The film had a brief, but an extremely powerful depiction of Durga pujo, which appears at the end of the film. While Nandu (Vinod) takes Pushpa (Sharmila), his foster mother, home, we see protimas of Maa Durga being taken to pandals, hinting at mahalaya. The symbolic reference to Maa’s homecoming was hard for anyone to miss.

Apart from Hindi films, Bengali movies have evidently underlined the spirit of Durga Pujas through their stories. Pather Panchali (1955), Devi (1960), Titas Ekti Nadir Naam (1973), Joi Baba Felunath (1979), Utsab (2000; right), Debipaksha (2004), Antarmahal (2005; below), Durga Sohay (2017), Bishorjan (2017) and Uma (2018) are some films where important parts of the narrative have been woven around the festival. Writer-director of the Bengali film, Mahalaya, Soumik Sen says, “The pujos have been used as motifs in Bengali cinema very often. Utsab, Joi Baba Felunath, Bishorjon (2017), Nayak (1966) and Bela Seshe (2015) are some examples of how differently and beautifully the festival has been merged into the story. In Hindi films, Kahaani and Devdas come to the mind when one thinks of weaving in the celebrations of Durga Pujo into the story. The difference lies in the way the festival has found its place across popular cultures from the West to the East.”

Filmmaker Ramkamal Mukherjee’s Season’s Greetings (2018), a homage to filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh, uses a motif of children visiting parents for the Durga Puja in his film — something Ghosh’s Utsab also employed. Ramkamal says, “The festival has different meanings and style of celebrations across the country. For Bengalis, it’s about Maa’s homecoming, symbolically depicted as a mother, daughter, wife or a sister in films. I’ve shown this in my film, too, to doff my hat to someone who crafted bold stories and broke all taboos — something that Maa also embodies.”

Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; March 6, 2019)

In a chat with Bombay Times, Sujoy Ghosh talks about movies, his passion for capturing intense conversations between his characters on camera, his comfort with rejection, ideas of revenge and his upcoming film, Badla.

Sujoy, you take your own sweet time to make movies. How do you keep away from the rat race which comes with the territory?
I come from an average middle-class family. Mine is not a sob story, but everything in my life has been a struggle and is still a struggle. I don’t expect anything on a platter. I have had to work hard for everything in my life and I am okay with it. I am used to rejection. In fact, I am very good with rejection as I have not tasted success at every step in my life. I had to give tons of interviews before I landed my first job. I wanted to do Computer Science from Manchester University, but I got rejected. But then, I worked hard and got in. I know this process and I am cool with it so I think that helps me stay sane. I could write a script and I am aware that it may not get made into a film because it could also be a shitty script.

Your films are led by strong female characters. Vidya Balan in Kahaani for instance or Taapsee Pannu in Badla...
I have grown up around strong women. I don’t know if strong is the right adjective, but I have seen my grandmother, then mother controlling and taking charge of our family. Even now my wife takes care of us in a way. I have always been around capable and strong women so I feel I know where they are coming from. Be it Ahalya (his Bengali short film starring Radhika Apte) or Durga (Vidya Balan in Kahaani 2), I have seen such strong women who have influenced me. Even as an individual, I get to learn a lot from Taapsee or a Vidya as people.

As a filmmaker you tend to be intrigued by capturing conversations on camera.
It’s interesting. Why are we talking for the past 10 minutes? There has to be something about this conversation. How do I present this to the audience, who would then be equally interested in knowing what you and I are talking about. That’s the challenge I like. That’s making a thriller out of a normal conversation. I enjoy that and the master of this was Satyajit Ray and Rituparno Ghosh. Their films were about conversations.

Many believe that the best form of revenge is no revenge, instead you just move on. If you were to keep the film aside for a while, what’s your take on revenge?
Interesting question. I live by the Mahabharata. I am not willing to let go of anything without putting up a fight. That’s me. I don’t know if that translates into revenge or confrontation. If somebody has wronged me in life, I will fight back but it also depends on the situation. The question determines the answer. If someone punches me in the face, I will punch him back but it all differs from situation to situation.

Badla is a Hindi adaptation of Spanish film The Invisible Guest. What made you choose this film in particular for a remake?
Initially, I didn’t want to do it. It is Taapsee’s fault (smiles). She kept telling me that it’s interesting. I finally read what was written and felt that I can contribute to it. As a director, I need to know if I can contribute to a certain story. The challenge was to tell something that was already told in a fantastic manner (Spanish original), so how do you top that?

You seem to have a special connect with Mr Bachchan. Is it intimidating to tell him what you (as a director) think he needs to or doesn’t need to do for a particular shot? What’s the process like when you work with him?
I will always draw a line, but he expects you to say what you feel, else you are doing a disservice to your film. If there is anything I don’t agree with, I will always discuss it with sir. That discussion is of utmost importance. I will always voice my concerns or interests to him and sir is very clever. He does control checks to see whether we are sleeping on the set or not (laughs!). He knows exactly what you want to say even when you don’t say it. He has this process of understanding the script over and over again. Once he studies that, he does what he thinks is correct and if that’s okay with me, we go ahead. If not, I explain to him my point of view and if he agrees, we change it. It’s very organic, we discuss and improvise.

You are particularly drawn to layered thrillers, isn’t it?
It’s a coincidence but I do feel I am attracted to stories which are of this nature. Given another story or genre, I think I will be able to tell that too. I started my career with Jhankaar Beats after all. I don’t care about genres as long as it’s exciting enough for me to give nine months of my life to that film. As far as layering is concerned, when I was growing up, everything was very black and white. Hero, heroine, villain... it was all very compartmentalised but as we go through life, you see things about yourself which you didn’t know existed. The good and the bad side. You evolve. When I fight with my wife and think about it later, I feel I am a very bad person but in my head I was right in doing what I did. It all exists within us and that’s how the layering comes. We have different sides to our personality, all of us have grey shades and I find that aspect in people very interesting.

Malayalam actor on his Hindi film debut which has Amitabh Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu as leads
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 12, 2019)

Malayalam actor Tony Luke is gearing up for his Bollywood debut with the Amitabh Bachchan – Taapsee Pannu-starrer Badla. He describes his character as the catalyst in the Sujoy Ghosh thriller. “It’s an official adaptation of the Spanish film, The Invisible Guest, and my character epitomises what a human being can do to survive and how he reacts when guilty,” informs Tony who down South has acted in three films, Oozham, Sakhavu and Aadhi. “The idea is not to play the lead but stand out in a film, even if it’s a five-minute role otherwise I have no right to call myself an actor.”

Tony reveals that having worked with Jeethu Joseph in two Malayalam films, he was offered the role of a cop in his Hindi film debut The Body, also featuring Emraan Hashmi and Rishi Kapoor. But Sunil Khetarpal who is also producing Badla asked him to audition for the latter and the casting director gave him one of the most difficult scenes in the film to act out. “Later, I got a call to meet Sujoy at his Bandra office at 9 am. Kahaani is one of my most favorite thrillers and I reached to meet him much before time. We discussed the script and I was blown away by the way he had written it,” Tony reminisces. Is he making his debut as the antagonist? Tony answers, “The beauty of this film is that all its characters are layered.”

It required him to get back in shape, burning all the calories he had gained for the recently released Malayalam thriller, 9, with Prithviraj in lead. He also had to learn Hindi. “It is a very important character and the first task was to learn the language, then, hit the gym as I weighed 90 kg then. I have a shirtless scene and Sujoy wanted washboard abs,” he shares. Buzz is, he’s romantically paired with Taapsee? The actor denies it, saying, “There is a certain sense of synergy between our characters, in a thriller, that’s what makes them special.”

The Big B plays a lawyer investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a young man in the film. Bring up his name and Tony is instantly excited, “He’s a legend, you feel the energy when he is around. Nobody sits down when he is filming, and he is always pulling someone’s leg. In Kerala, we have Mohanlal sir, in Bollywood, there is Bachchan sir,” he gushes.

Shah Rukh Khan is one of the producers of Badla, however, Tony is yet to meet him but is looking forward to it. “From what I hear, he has loved the film as well as my performance,” the debutant signs off with a smile.