"Kumari 21F" is reportedly a cocktail of two foreign movies: Filmmaker Sukumar has reportedly copied the story from "Lila dit ça" (Lila Says) and "La pregunta de sus ojos" (The Secret In Their Eyes).
The rumours emerged on the net after someone who has seen the French film "Lila dit ça" exposed the truth on social networking websites. Now the news is spreading like wildfire on social media.
Reports suggest Sukumar has made some changes to the plot of the French film "Lila dit ça" to suit the taste of Telugu audiences. The filmmaker has apparently changed the climax for "Kumari 21F", inspired by the Argentine film "The Secret In Their Eyes".
Directed by Ziad Doueiri, the 2004 French film "Lila dit ça" is an adaptation of the novel of the same title "Chimo". The film revolves around 19-year-old self-described loser Chimo, who is unemployed and wastes his day hanging around with others like him.
Chimo falls for 16-year-old beautiful blonde Lila, who is a self-styled "bad girl". They start a tentative romance. Meanwhile, Chimo's best friend Mouloud also takes a liking to Lila and his attitude towars her causes a rift between the two friends. After a bad turn of events, Lila is taken away by her aunt and a heartbroken Chimo remembers his experiences with Lila and writes a book, which changes his life.
During its promotion, Sukumar, who is turning producer with "Kumari 21F", has claimed the story of the film is his own. But its outline looks similar to that of the French film. Released in theatres on 20 November, the film has garnered positive feedback from viewers and critics, who say Sukumar's story is the biggest asset of the film.
Sukumar has not responded to reports of his alleged copying of foreign movies. This is not a first in the Telugu film industry. Some filmmakers have drawn inspiration from films in Korean and other languages, but it has never affected the collection of any film.
