'Gulabo Sitabo' script accused of plagiarism, makers trash legal notice

MUMBAI: Scriptwriter Juhi Chaturvedi of "Gulabo Sitabo" has been accused of plagiarism, ahead of the films much-hyped premiere on OTT. A police complaint has been filed and a legal notice has also been sent to the makers, who have, however, dismissed the charges as "baseless allegations" made to "create unnecessary controversy".

The plagiarism accusation has been levelled by Akira Agarwal, son of late writer Rajeev Agarwal. It has been claimed that Rajeev Agarwal had submitted a story titled "16 Mohandas Lane" in a contest 'Cinestaan India's Storyteller Script Contest' where Chaturvedi was a jury member.

According to the legal notice, Agarwal had submitted his story in the month March 2018 and his entry had subsequently been shortlisted. On June 28, 2018, the final script of the story was also submitted for the contest and all jury members had full access to the same.

The legal notice was sent by advocate Rizwan Siddiquee on behalf of Akira Agarwal to the makers of "Gulabo Sitabo", with the demand to see the film's complete script. Akira Agarwal has also filed a complaint at Mumbai's Juhu Police Station in this regard. Alleging that the story of "Gulabo Sitabo", its background and theme resemble "16 Mohandas Lane". In the complaint, it has been stated that Akira Agarwal has also approached the Screenwriters Association (SWA) for mediation.

"The association asked Chaturvedi to submit her script. However, she failed to submit her script and denied that she ever had access to the script. The Screenwriters Association yet sought to support Chaturvedi by claiming that there is no infringement. Akira then approached Siddiquee for help and guidance," it read, pointing out that Chaturvedi had been requested to submit her script and story for verification, which she didn't do. (IANS)

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