Over the past decade, the issue of plagiarism in Bollywood movies has become more prominent. Filmmakers are so fixated on making money that they aren't willing to take the risk that comes with making an original story. In recent years, almost every Bollywood movie has been inspired by either a Hollywood movie, or from some other global cinema. Being inspired by a certain story is not something uncommon in the industry, but not acknowledging that the ideas belong to someone else and the exact replication of the work is what raises concerns.
Several bollywood blockbusters have been accused of plagiarism, examples include Ghajini which was accused of having similarities with Christopher Nolan’s movie, Memento. The movie, Satte Pe Satta, is considered to be a copy of the Hollywood movie, Seven Brides for Seven Sisters. Another example is, Meray Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai, which has a lot of similarities with My Best Friend’s wedding. Plagiriams is not just limited to storylines but also extends to posters of movies and songs. An example of a movie poster being copied is Kangana Ranauat’s Judgmental Hai Kya, which according to Flora Borsi, a Hungarian visual artist , is a copy of her work.
To deal with the issue of plagiarism it is imperative to implement laws regarding copyright which ensure that filmmakers don’t blatantly copy each other’s work. Moreover, it is essential to stress more on original content and encourage filmmakers to come up with new storylines and move away from narratives that have already been told by others.
You have raised some great points in your post; however, I think some of the greatest box office hits in the Indian film industry have mostly been original and new storylines. For instance, the Indian films 'Gangubai Kathiawadi' or 'Mimi' (both won awards) were based on their own unique plots and storylines. That being said, I completely agree that the Bollywood industry does resort to plagiarism more than often. In your opinion, what factors could be responsible for this? Is it the laziness to do something unique or creative on their own that explains this, or something else is at play?
A very interesting read! I liked the clear distinction made between drawing inspiration and outright copying. It's a critical point that acknowledges the fine line between being inspired by a work and plagiarizing it. The mention of not just storylines but also posters and songs being subject to plagiarism broadens the understanding of how deep this issue runs.
Your blog reminded me about the controversy surrounding the alleged plagiarism of Abrar-ul-Haq's song "Nach Punjaban" by Bollywood filmmakers of "Jugjugg Jeeyo". He expressed his disapproval and frustration over social media platforms, stating his intentions to take legal action against the film's producers for copyright infringement. Following these allegations, Abrar-ul-Haq reportedly filed a lawsuit to address the unauthorized use of his song. This case highlighted the ongoing issue of intellectual property rights and the need for proper licensing and acknowledgment in the global entertainment industry, especially in cases where the work crosses international boundaries. The controversy sparked discussions about the respect for artists' rights and the importance of ethical practices in the music and film industries.
A very interesting read! Reading this made me wonder what the line between taking inspiration and plagirising really is. Being inspired by media products, as is apparent with intertextual refernces, adds weight to narratives and enables the audience to instantly relate more to them. However, often times, media creators tend to wholly plagirise plot line, lyrics, concepts and more. I enjoy watching movies which are remakes of movies made in other countries and cultures - gives me an opportunity to compare. However, I feel like remaking movies without adding any cultural refences and not approriating them to the your own culture really defeats the purpose. Netflix India recently recreated the popular Spanish teen show "Elite." The Indian version, "Class," fails to actually approriate itself to the Indian culture because the characters feel like an exact copy of their Spanish versions and their personas become hard to believe. Eventhough, such productions claim to be recreations and not plagrisims, they feel wholly ridiculous because they lack in any kind orininality and creativity.
I really admire the usage of plagarism in your heading as it sets a tone of how bollywood cinema and hollywood both not only influence each other but are some times mirror reflections. Archies and Riverdale, Harry met Sally and Harry met Sejal are the same storyline copied yet still successful, so do you think plagarism is bad even if fulfills the capitalistic nature of media?
I am so glad to see someone bringing this up since this definitely hits close to home, plagiraism by Bollywood as you mentioned is not just limited to a single genre of film but is even extended to the musical industry involved in these films, there has been several old Pakistani songs that have been "re-created" which is just a code word for "making it Bollywood branded" with the recent Nach Punjaban into the worst formulation as "The Punjabban Song" and the entire legal case surrounding this stealing of intellectual property that ended with Sony Music's not so hefty compensation for copyright claims. Although it is allowed to have inspiration from other pieces of media it should be limited to intertextual referencing, re-creating an entire piece such as the "Jab Harry met Sejal" re-indition of "When Harry Met Sally" did fail in its mission and proved to be unpopular amongst the community that had watched the original. Film-makers should be able to hold some sense of ethical responsibility when taking on such projects to maintain the originality or evolving the storyline in an effective manner to cater to uniqueness and diverse outlook on the topics of the original.
Interesting article! Although I believe that constantly replicating movies can stifle creativity and diminish the uniqueness of artistic content, the concept of intertextuality does hold significance. Drawing inspiration from other artistic pieces is a common practice and can stimulate artists to create something based on what inspires them. However, outright copying an idea is unfair. Filmmakers should strive to inject their touch of originality to ensure a unique and distinctive outcome.