Malayalam superstar Mohanlal is all set to entertain the audience with his latest film, Neru. Touted to be a legal drama, the film also stars Priyamani. While the movie is releasing on Thursday, December 21, the makers are facing plagiarism allegations.
As per Pinkvilla, author Deepak Unni recently filed a petition at the Kerala High Court claiming that Jeethu Joseph and Santhi Mayadevi’s film, Neru, is plagiarized. He claimed that he discussed the film’s script three years ago with the duo. They asked him to hand over a 49-page script to seek expert lawyers’ advice for the legal drama. Deepak alleged that the duo then cut him off and plagiarized his content. He also claimed that he realized the same after watching the trailer of the Mohanlal starrer. He further mentioned that the trailer had the exact sequence that he wrote in the script. Despite his petition, Kerala High Court refused to issue a stay order on Neru’s release.
Neru director Jeethu Joseph issues statement
Amid the ongoing controversy, director Jeethu Joseph broke his silence and addressed the claims. Ahead of Mohanlal’s Neru’s release, the director penned a lengthy note via social media. He wrote, “Just hours remain before Neru becomes yours. Similar to any other film I’ve worked on, I’ve approached Neru with utmost sincerity and enthusiasm. But for the past few days, right before my film’s release, a controversy has been created.” The Drishyam director further added, “As you may know, a person has come forth claiming the rights to Neru’s story, and has even approached the court. The synopsis of what the person wrote, along with the case files have been making rounds on social media as well. I request the audience to give the verdict on what is true and false, after watching the film in theaters tomorrow. – Jeethu Joseph.”
Neru marks Jeethu Joseph and Mohanlal’s fourth collaboration. Aashirvad Cinemas has bankrolled it.
