Director Puri Jagannadh's iSmart Shankar has landed in a problem days after its theatrical release. Jai Aakash has made plagiarism charges against is makers, saying that its story is similar to that of his Tamil film Naan Yaar.
Naan Yaar is a romantic drama, which is written and directed by N Radha. The movie features Jai Akash, Suman Reddy and Soniya Sharma in the lead roles. On the other hand, iSmart Shankar is an action film, which has been written and directed by Puri Jagannadh. The movie features Ram Pothineni, Nabha Natesh and Nidhhi Agerwal in the roles in the film, which hit the screens on July 18.
A day after it hit the screens, Jai Aakash watched iSmart Shankar and was shocked to find similarities between Naan Yaar and this film. "When I went to watch iSmart Shankar last Friday in Chennai, I was shocked to find that the core plotline and screenplay of the film were the same as my film," Deccan Chronicle quoted Akash as saying.
Jai Aakash claims that he tried to reach out to the makers, but did not get any response. Hence, he lodged a complaint in the Tamil Film Producers Council (TFPC). "I even sent him the documents of proof, but neither he nor his manager responded. C Kalyan, President of South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce is looking into the issue," added Akash.
Jai Akash is now demanding compensation for copying the script written by him. "After watching iSmart Shankar, who will watch my film now? I need to alter the script and reshoot the film, so I want to be compensated appropriately. If the film is being remade in other languages, the money made from it should also be given to me," said the actor-turned-writer.
However, iSmart Shankar has become a blockbuster success with its collection crossing Rs 45 crore gross mark at the worldwide box office in six days. The movie has not only recovered the 100 percent investments of its distributors but has also earned them nearly 50 percent profit share.
