PremiumMohanlal's Neru inspired by a Courteney Cox film? Netizens left baffled by this Hollywood thriller’s resemblances to Jeethu Joseph’s superhit
To the surprise of movie buffs, there is a video circulating on social media featuring scenes from these two films that are similar.
Posters of Sketch Artist II: Hands That See and Neru
Last Updated: 07.45 PM, Dec 30, 2023
Amidst its success in theatres, Malayalam director Jeethu Joseph's Mohanlal-starrer Neru is now being compared for parallels to a 1995 American crime thriller. To the surprise of movie buffs, there is a video circulating on social media featuring scenes from these two films that are similar.
Resemblances between these two films
Sketch Artist II: Hands That See, starring Jeff Fahey, Courteney Cox, and Jonathan Silverman, tells the story of police artist Jack Whitfield, who is pursuing an apparently unstoppable serial killer. Emmy O'Conner, a young blind woman and the only victim who has survived the alleged killer’s attack, gives a startlingly detailed account of her attacker, with which Jack gets closer to apprehending the murderer. Meanwhile, the accused will do whatever it takes to murder Emmy, who revealed his identity.
This story will sound a lot like the courtroom drama, Neru, where Sara, a blind woman, surprises the legal system by quickly identifying her rapist. The narrative of Neru is formed by her struggle for justice and her determination to prove that she has recognised the right person.
Scenes like the one where the woman demonstrates in court that she can recognise people by touch and thanks the police artist in the end bear resemblance to those in Neru. In addition, Emmy is a sketch artist in the Hollywood film, while Anaswara Rajan's character Sara is a sculptor in Neru.
Reactions on social media platforms
Netizens are divided over the abrupt claims of adaptation in the meantime. While some criticised the director for not giving credit to the source, another noted that there is nothing wrong with a story adaptation as long as it is treated properly. “The director made the movie in a way that would be liked by the mallu audience, and he succeeded in that. Don’t spread negativity!" wrote a film enthusiast.
A few users also cited the other works by Jeethu Joseph that drew inspiration from foreign-language films. For instance, Drishyam from the Japanese film Suspect X and My Boss from the American romantic comedy movie The Proposal.
Plagiarism plea against Neru’s writers
Just a few days prior to its release in theatres on December 21, Jeethu Joseph and Santhi Mayadevi's courtroom drama was the target of a plagiarism accusation. Deepu K Unni, the petitioner, stated that he discussed the film's screenplay with Jeethu and Santhi after writing it. He added that he was forced to hand over copies of his script to the duo. However, in a ruling on December 17, the Kerala High Court declined to postpone the film's release.
Neru, a comeback for Mohanlal
The Jeethu Joseph film is being regarded as Mohanlal's impressive comeback. Huge praise is being given to the courtroom drama for its captivating story and outstanding performances. In the first week of its release, Neru brought in a total of over Rs 50 crore at the global box office. According to preliminary reports, in just the first seven days of its release, the film took in over Rs 17 crore at the Kerala box office alone.