'Golmaal Returns' faces copyright violation charge

The comedy film "Golmaal Returns" is a copy of the 1973 production "Aaj Ki Taza Khabar", a complainant told a film producers' forum on Tuesday.

The comedy film "Golmaal Returns" is a copy of the 1973 production "Aaj Ki Taza Khabar", a complainant told a film producers' forum on Tuesday.

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Shakuntala Bhatia lodged a complaint with the Indian Motion Picture Producers' Association (IMPPA) that "Golmaal Returns", which was released Oct 29, was a direct copy of her husband, producer Rajendra Bhatia's "Aaj Ki Taza Khabar", starring Kiran Kumar, Radha Saluja and Asrani.

She said she came to know of the similarities of the stories between the two movies only after she read reviews of "Golmaal Returns" in a Bollywood trade magazine Monday. She substantiated her claim, saying the reviewers had also noted as much in their magazines.

Bhatia claimed a compensation of Rs.50 million from "Golmaal Returns" producer Shree Asthavinayak Cine Vision as Kiron Production, headed by her, was in the process of re-making "Aaj Ki Taza Khabar".

"Golmaal Returns", starring Ajay Devgan, Kareena Kapoor, Tushar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Arshad Warsi, Celina Jaitley and Amrita Arora and directed by Rohit Shetty, has already raked in Rs.450 million from domestic box-office with additional $10 million from the overseas market, according to Indian Films, which owns the movie's rights.