Months after she raised plagiarism allegations against the makers of ‘Laapataa Ladies’, Ananta Mahadevan clarified the controversy, expressing doubts about its authenticity Kiran Rao director. Mahadevan claims that the film’s premise bears a striking resemblance to his debut directorial venture ‘Ghunghat Ke Pat Khol’ (1999). However, he stated that neither Kiran Rao nor the producer believe this. Aamir Khan they were aware of the alleged copying.
Made for Channel 9 in Australia and aired on DD Metro, ‘Ghunghat Ke Pat Khol’ had a unique story of brides mingling at a railway station. “The premise of brides mingling at a railway station… It can’t be a coincidence. Frankly, I had a lot of fun because we are all colleagues here, be it Aamir or Kiran. We have all worked together. I was also flattered that they really wanted to think about it (the story),” Mahadevan said.
In a conversation with director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri on his YouTube channel I Am Buddha, Mahadevan said that the beginning portions of both the films are similar but ‘Laapataa Ladies’ to focus on women’s freedom and their struggle for their rights. He suggested that the writer of the film may not have copied the story knowingly and that Aamir and Kiran may not have been aware of the similarity.
Reflecting on how he conceived the idea of ’Ghunghat Ke Pat Khol’, Mahadevan thanked veteran character actor Satyen Kappu. He said that he sat down with Farooq Sheikh and shot for Chamatkar. During a break, Satyen said, ‘After we got married, my wife was wearing a veil. Since I had to leave for a shoot immediately, I took her with me and made her sit at a bus stop. Then I went to check the bus schedules. When I came back, my wife was nowhere to be found. When I looked around, I saw her walking away with the porter carrying my luggage. So, she thought it was me.’
Hearing this, Farooq Sheikh saab said that this has a story. It was definitely new. “So we started writing,” Mahadevan recalled.
Mahadevan stated that despite the controversy, he did not care about the issue but it would be nice if the ‘Laapataa Ladies’ writer mentioned that he was inspired by his film.
Made for Channel 9 in Australia and aired on DD Metro, ‘Ghunghat Ke Pat Khol’ had a unique story of brides mingling at a railway station. “The premise of brides mingling at a railway station… It can’t be a coincidence. Frankly, I had a lot of fun because we are all colleagues here, be it Aamir or Kiran. We have all worked together. I was also flattered that they really wanted to think about it (the story),” Mahadevan said.
In a conversation with director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri on his YouTube channel I Am Buddha, Mahadevan said that the beginning portions of both the films are similar but ‘Laapataa Ladies’ to focus on women’s freedom and their struggle for their rights. He suggested that the writer of the film may not have copied the story knowingly and that Aamir and Kiran may not have been aware of the similarity.
Reflecting on how he conceived the idea of ’Ghunghat Ke Pat Khol’, Mahadevan thanked veteran character actor Satyen Kappu. He said that he sat down with Farooq Sheikh and shot for Chamatkar. During a break, Satyen said, ‘After we got married, my wife was wearing a veil. Since I had to leave for a shoot immediately, I took her with me and made her sit at a bus stop. Then I went to check the bus schedules. When I came back, my wife was nowhere to be found. When I looked around, I saw her walking away with the porter carrying my luggage. So, she thought it was me.’
Hearing this, Farooq Sheikh saab said that this has a story. It was definitely new. “So we started writing,” Mahadevan recalled.
Mahadevan stated that despite the controversy, he did not care about the issue but it would be nice if the ‘Laapataa Ladies’ writer mentioned that he was inspired by his film.
LGBTQIA+ members, people with disabilities, caste minorities should be well represented and featured in films: Kiran Rao at KASHISH Pride Film Festival
