Updated April 5, 2025 at 23:52 IST
Plagiarism, which is defined as using other people’s ideas without proper attribution, or using a work or information, can seriously damage the film’s reputation, even if the creator claims inspiration from other sources. The recent controversy over women in Rapataa has sparked a greater debate over Bollywood plagiarism. There, several films have been accused of copying others over the years.
Biplab Goswami, author of Laapataa Ladies, responded to recent allegations of plagiarism following claims that his film has a prominent similarity to the Arabic film Burqa City. The charges surfaced after several social media viewers pointed to similarities between the two films and raised concerns about the originality of director Kiranrao’s film.
Some plagiarism accusations are legal, but often lead to legal battles, public backlash and discolored images for filmmakers. Below are seven notable Bollywood films facing allegations of plagiarism:
1. Gulabo Sitabo
In a prominent case, Gulabo Sitabo was accused of plagiarism by Akira Agarwal, son of late writer Rajeev Agarwal. Akira argued that the story of her father submitted to the Cinestaan India storyteller script contest was surprisingly similar to the plot of Gulabo Sitabo. The controversy escalates when Akira’s lawyer sends a legal notice to film screenwriter Juhi Chaturvedi, claiming that the script is a direct lift from the work of Rajeev Agarwal.
2. Judgementall hai kya
The poster of Judgementall Hai Kya featuring Rajkummar Rao and Kangana Ranaut was accused of plagiarism by Hungarian visual artist Flora Borsi. Borsi pointed to a creepy similarity between his artwork depicting women with cats and his artwork depicting promotional posters for the film. Her accusations sparked a heated debate over the originality of Bollywood promotional materials.
3. Hindi media
The Hindi Medium, which starred Irfan Khan and Sabah Kamaar, faced allegations of lifting the plot from the 2014 Bengali film Ramdanu (Rainbow and Translation). Director Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee, Ramdhanu was said to have inspired the Hindi medium storyline of the educational struggles facing middle-class Indian families.
4. Dear Jindagi
Dear Zindagi to Gauri Sinde, starring Aria Batt and Shah Luke Khan, was accused of being very similar to the Canadian television series being Erika. The series, created by Jana Sinyor, also continues with a young woman working through her personal problems with the help of a therapist.
5. Raabta
Starring Sushant Singh Rajput and Kriti Sanon, Raabta fired when the maker of the 2009 Telugu film claimed that Raabta was a direct rift in the film’s storyline, which includes centuries of reincarnation and love stories. The Telugu film production house later retracted the incident, but the controversy attracted much attention on the similarities between Raabta with Magadilla.
6. Mardani
The maker of Mardani, starring Rani Mukerji, has been accused of a plagiarizing scene in Mrityunjay Devvrat’s film Children of War. The director claimed that Yash Raj Films blatantly lifted the scene from his film for Mardaani.
7. Gagini
Aamir Khan’s Gazini faced serious allegations of plagiarism when its trailer was accused of closely mimicking Christopher Nolan’s thriller Mememento. Additionally, the film’s promotional poster art is said to resemble the incredible Hulk artwork. The accusations against Ghajini sparked debate over the similarity between the two films in terms of both narrative and visual elements.
Ladies of Rapataa were not the first Bollywood film to face allegations of plagiarism, and it certainly wasn’t the last. The film industry continues to tackle the issues of originality and creative ownership. As the industry grows, filmmakers must remain vigilant about ensuring that their work is not only fresh and original, but also respect the intellectual property of others. The allegations against Lapataa women act as a reminder of the importance of acknowledging influence and avoiding direct copying in the world of filmmaking.
End of article
