Case filed against Suriya’s Jai Bhim under Copyright Act for alleged story theft

It looks like Suriya’s critically acclaimed film, Jai Bhim, has once again landed in legal trouble. A case has been filed against the film's director TJ Gnanavel under Copyright Act for alleged story theft. Chennai police registered an FIR against the director and producers of the film on Wednesday.

According to reports, the complaint was filed by one V Kulanjiyappan, the person on whom one of the characters in the film is based. The complainant has alleged that though the makers used his story, but did not pay him for the royalty which they had earlier promised. The report states that an FIR has been registered under Section 63 (a) of Copyright Act against the film’s director, T J Gnanavel and the production house, 2D Entertainment, which is run by Suriya and Jyotika.

Kulanjiyappan stated that he had informed the Jai Bhim team about the atrocities committed by the police in the Kammapuram police station in 1993. The complainant claimed that Gnanavel had met him at his residence in 2019 where Kulanjiyappan elaborated on the 1993 incident. He also claimed that he was promised a sum of ₹50 lakh as royalty and share in profits, but that the team failed to keep its promise.

This is not the first time that Jai Bhim has run into legal trouble. Soon, after the film's release, the team was dragged to court by a caste-based outfit and political party, as they stated that the film portrayed the community in a bad light.

The award-winning film revolves around a real-life based incident on police brutality against a marginalised tribal community and the discrimination faced by them. Suriya's character was based on Justice K Chandru, who fought for justice for the oppressed family. The film has today become one of the most talked about anti-caste films in the annals of Tamil cinema.