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.”

Director Aditya Dhar reveals how he convinced his leading man to deliver it
MUMBAI MIRROR (April 10, 2019)

The line, “How’s the josh?” has become synonymous with Vicky Kaushal’s true-life action drama, Uri: The Surgical Strike with even the prime minister quoting it. However, the film’s debutant director Aditya Dhar reveals that at one point during the shoot, he was about to change the line, following a suggestion from Vicky.

Recalling the incident, Aditya said, “We first used the line during the Myanmar sequence. Two minutes before the camera started rolling, Vicky came up to me and asked me to change the line because somewhere he thought the ‘feel’ wasn’t coming through. I tried explaining that to motivate their team, army commanders use such lines as pep talk and we should give it a try.”

He remembers that the first time their ‘hero’ spoke the line, all 30 members of our team had gooseflesh just hearing it. The 36-year-old director was chatting with veteran screenplay writer Robin Bhatt as part of an initiative by the Screenwriters Association (SWA).

Aditya went on to recount that as a little boy he would visit the Army Club in the capital with his friends and former officers would make the children line up and ask, “How’s the josh?” and they would reply, “High, sir.” Whoever was the loudest and the best, would get a chocolate. “Most of the time I used to win the chocolate,” the filmmaker smiled. The memory stayed with him and when scripting Uri, he wrote it as a dialogue for Vihaan’s character without realising it would become such a hit.

Given that the film has received so much appreciation from the audience and critics alike, has he been approached for a similar film? “Yes, Bollywood functions on what is trending. If a romcom is a hit, dozens of makers will start making one. Ditto for a war film,” he laughed, admitting that when he made Uri, war films were not a commercially successful genre. “But now everyone wants to make films on the Indian army and wars, so I will have to look for something different and start a new trend. When I start writing a story, it will be two-three years ahead of its time,” he added.

Bhatt responded to that saying a writer should think ahead because it takes a minimum of a year to make and release film so it’s important for the subject to be relevant till then and also have recall value long after. “Eventually we have only 10 stories to play with, the freshness in the narrative comes from the perspective and the expression of the storyteller,” explained the award winning screenplay writer of Baazigar, Aashiqui, Omkara to name a few.

Vishal Bhardwaj plans movie around Saif Ali Khan's 'Omkara' character, like Taapsee Pannu's 'Naam Shabana'
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; April 28, 2017)

Saif Ali Khan's turn as the conniving foul-mouthed anti-hero, Langda Tyagi in Vishal Bhardwaj's 2006 crime-drama, 'Omkara', an adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello, has earned him a solo outing.

Sources close to Bhardwaj's production house reveal, "Omkara surprised critics and viewers alike, with Saif receiving accolades for his performance. No one could have pulled off the character like he did. The script for the spin-off is currently being written. There have been multiple propositions on how to create the narrative. The story will put the spotlight on how this man became the way he is."

Writers Abhishek Chaubey and Robin Bhatt, along with Bhardwaj, who wrote the original, will script the new Langda film. Saif, we hear, has already given his nod to Bhardwaj. Omkara also starred Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Bipasha Basu.

Anirban Das (MID-DAY; May 9, 2016)

After hitlist reported about unit hands of Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Bullett Raja awaiting their dues three years after the film’s release (Wage-ing a war, on May 5), a few people associated with Sanjay Gupta’s last directorial, Jazbaa, have brought forth a similar complaint.

Sources suggest dialogue writer Kamlesh Pandey, screenplay writer Robin Bhatt, choreographer Ahmed Khan, director of photography Sameer Arya and a few others have not received full payment for working on the film, which hit theatres on October 9 last year. Unlike Bullett Raja, which misfired at the box office leading to losses for the makers, Jazbaa starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Irrfan did fairly well.

“The total amount due is more than Rs 20 lakh. They had reached out to Gupta and he has assured them that the dues will be cleared once he receives the payment from Essel Vision (which produced the film),” says a source.

However, those awaiting their remuneration are in a fix since there is no clarity over who is supposed to clear the dues. Pandey says, “I have not received the last instalment of my pay. We spoke to Gupta and he told us that all payments will be made once he gets a certain amount from Essel Vision. Essel Vision, on the other hand, has informed us that it is the responsibility of Gupta’s company.”

While Gupta remained unavailable for comment, Nittin Keni, CEO-Essel Vision, says, “Essel Vision was supposed to give the production and direction cost to Sanjay Gupta’s company, White Feather Films. We had made payments to him to make the film. He was supposed to enter into an agreement with all actors, writers, technicians and other members, and make the payments to them from the production cost we had given him. If he has not made the payments, then he should be questioned. We have informed the members, who have not received their payments, about this.”

Asira Tarannum (MID-DAY; November 5, 2014)

The proposed sequel to Farhan Akhtar’s Rock On!! had recently set off a controversy with Abhishek Kapoor accusing Pubali Chaudhuri of denying him credit for the script. Pubali had then approached the Film Writers’ Association claiming that the scripts was solely written by her. Now the dispute seems to have turned uglier.

A source close to the director says, “Pubali registered the script with the association and claimed that it was her solo creation. Abhishek was miffed that he wasn’t given any credit. It seems that he was the one to have conceptualised the story and Pubali fleshed it out. So, he feels that both of them deserve credit.”

The dispute settlement committee of the Film Writers’ Association has upheld Abhishek’s allegation and ruled that the script has been co- written with Pubali. “When he had a fall out with Excel Entertainment over creative differences, they approached Pubali to work on the sequel of the 2008 film. However, both Abhishek and Pubali were working on the script before he opted out of the project,” says another source.

Robin Bhatt of the dispute settlement committee informs us that Pubali, unhappy with their judgment, has now approached the Appellate Board for a re-look into the matter.

While Abhishek Kapoor chose not to comment, Pubali says, “ The case is on and I am not allowed to discuss this with the media.”

Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; July 18, 2014)

Mahesh Bhatt’s unfinished film, Girvi, that starred Ajay Devgn and Pooja Bhatt will now be made into a television serial titled Udaan.

Bhatt says, “This film could not be finished due to some problems. One day, Gurudev Bhalla, one of my assistants on the film, came to me and asked if the story could be made into a serial. I agreed.’’

The show is about how an unborn girl child from a poor man’s family is pawned to a zamindar. “In the film, the unborn child grows up to be Ajay Devgn. But for the show, the gender has been changed — an unborn girl child is pawned instead. Rest of the premise remains the same.’’

Actress Sai Deodhar, who earlier played the lead in shows such as Saara Aakaash and Ek Ladki Anjaani Si, will headline the cast in this show. In the meantime, Bhatt is also collaborating with Rajan Shahi for a show for another channel. Written by Zama Habib, the story is not a saasbahu saga. It is said to be about an ambitious girl who wants to fulfill her dreams at any cost.
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Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; July 18, 2014)


The show, co-written by Robin Bhatt and Javed Siddiqui (who have penned films like Baazigar and Koi Mil Gaya), explores the issue of bonded labour, still being practised in some villages. Says Robin, “It was in 1992 that Mahesh got the concept of doing a film on bonded labour. He had read somewhere about a child being mortgaged when it was in the womb of his mother. Javed and I scripted it. We shot some five-six reels of the film, before it was abandoned by the producer due to financial difficulties. Since then, Mahesh and I have always felt bad about such a fantastic subject being wasted.”

Over a decade later, Gurudev Bhalla, who had once assisted Mahesh, approached Robin and asked if he could make it into a TV show. He asked Robin to script it as he is the original writer. With just one request. That he make it female-oriented. “In the film, a boy is mortgaged, but for the serial we changed it to a girl child. We developed the story and showed it to Mahesh, who liked it immensely,” says Robin. Gurudev then
approached the channel and immediately got a go-ahead.

Udaan will see Sai Deodhar-Anand making a comeback to TV after three years. She plays the mother and Rajiv Kumar her husband.

Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; February 13, 2014)

Sanjay Gupta’s films are about gangsters, real life incidents and style. We have now learnt that Sanjay is ready to shoot his next film titled Mumbai Saga, which again is based on a real-life gangster of the 80s and the 90s, who changed the skyline of Mumbai. This gangster, being played by John Abraham, will be shown from the age of 22, where he was a vegetable vendor, to the age of 45, when he became a narco smuggler and the ganglord of Mumbai, who ruled the businesses of drugs, arms and real estate. He was responsible for breaking the strong nexus between the mills and the politicians at that time. He, in effect, became the broker for builders and was responsible for buildings being built in place of mills. But he did something so terrible that he had to get his face changed without which he would have been caught. He had turned gangster for the sake of his brother, who he wanted should become a chemical engineer from London. While his brother did become that, ironically, he finally became a gangster himself.

Great actors Anil Kapoor and Manoj Bajpayee return in this Sanjay Gupta film. Interestingly, Anil will be seen playing the leader of the ruling political party then, who was no less than the tiger of Mumbai’s jungle. It’s a no-brainer to guess who that could be.