Kajol and Shruti Haasan recently made their short film debut with Priyanka Banerjee directed Devi. The 13-minute-long film that also features Neha Dhupia, Neena Kulkarni, Mukta Barve, Sandhya Mhatre, Rama Joshi, Shivani Raghuvanshi and Yashaswini Dayama created a positive stir across the audience with its tight narrative and a compelling message. While the audience couldn't stop admiring it, Abhishek Rai accused the makers of plagiarism. The freelance filmmaker who made a short film titled Four for his college assignment in 2018 found a striking resemblance between the projects that spoke about sexual harassment. While the team of Devi is yet to address the issue, Abhishek, during an interview with a leading daily, expressed his concern over the matter. He said although he liked Devi, he is disappointed with the uncanny similarities. He further added that he got no response or explanation from Priyanka even after contacting her personally through social media.
"I made FOUR to compel people to think hard on the subject of rape. I had no intention of making a commercial film. When I saw Devi, I really liked it. I am happy that they made this film. The message that I wanted to give out through my film has now reached a much wider audience. I was, however, disappointed that Devi had so many striking similarities with my film, some of which are hard to ignore or rubbish as mere coincidence. I tried to contact Priyanka through Instagram, seeking some explanation. I got no response from her or any of the makers. Then I reached out to people on Twitter and Facebook and shared the link of my film so that they can themselves spot the similarities," Abhishek told.
Abhishek further said that before making Devi, the makers should have notified him. The filmmaker, demanding credit for the creativity, asked for a public apology. He told that if Priyanka or her team doesn't respond to their request, the crew behind Four will seek legal assistance with the help of their college. "They should have, at least, notified me about the film. I deserve some credit or an acknowledgment for Devi. To be honest, now I need a public apology. We are waiting for their response, we really want to listen to their side. We will move ahead legally with the support of our college if they don't give us an explanation," Abhishek added.
Devi is directed and written by debutante Priyanka. It is produced by Niranjan Iyengar's and Ryan Stephen's Electric Apples Entertainment. The short film released on March 2, 2020.
(Source: India Today)
