The Madras Excessive Courtroom on Tuesday (September 3, 2024) ordered notices to in style movie director Atlee, manufacturing agency AGS Leisure Non-public Restricted, and its government director Archana Kalpathi in a case pertaining to an alleged theft of script for actor Vijay-starrer ‘Bigil.’
A Division Bench of Justices M. Sundar and R. Sakthivel ordered issuance of notices on petitions filed by scriptwriter Amjath Meeran to condone the delay of 73 days in preferring three appeals in opposition to the dismissal of his three functions by a single choose.
The petitioner informed the Bench that he had filed a civil go well with earlier than the Excessive Courtroom in 2019 – when the Tamil movie was released – searching for a declaration that the script of ‘Bigil’ belonged to him. He had sought to nominate an advocate commissioner to amount the quantity of “copying/stealing” allegedly finished by the defendants.
Claiming {that a} script written by him titled ‘Brasil’ had been stolen to make ‘Bigil,’ the petitioner had additionally sought a course to the defendants to pay him an preliminary compensation of ₹10 lakh moreover additional compensation as decided by the courtroom.
In 2023, the petitioner had filed three functions urging the courtroom to simply accept extra paperwork sought to be let in as proof in his go well with and to tackle file a 2015 certificates issued by the Writers Guild of America (West) for his script.
The petitioner additionally sought permission to let in additional oral proof in assist of his go well with. He informed the courtroom that the 2015 certificates was extremely important to show his case, however he couldn’t produce it in 2019 because it was not with him on the time.
The counter-affidavit
Mr. Atlee, in the meantime, filed a standard counter-affidavit to all of the three functions, accusing the plaintiff of getting filed the case with false, self-serving, and concocted statements. He alleged the case had been filed solely to extract cash from him.
The director stated the three functions couldn’t be allowed after the completion of the trial and at a stage when the go well with was prepared for graduation of ultimate arguments. He stated the functions had been filed solely to fill the lacunae within the proof.
Mr. Atlee additionally stated he had registered a 65-page script of ‘Bigil’ with the South Indian Movie Writers’ Affiliation on July 4, 2018, after which registered a 242-page detailed script with screenplay and dialogues on October 4, 2018, earlier than commencing the shoot.
He stated the film written and directed by him was tentatively titled ‘Vaathiyar’ after which ‘Thalapathy 63’ earlier than lastly getting launched as ‘Bigil’ on October 26, 2019. The director acknowledged the plaintiff had rushed to the courtroom instantly after the discharge of the trailer.
Questioning why the 2015 certificates was not produced whereas submitting the go well with in 2019, Mr. Atlee stated the plaintiff’s identify didn’t discover place on the web site of Writers Guild of America (West) and due to this fact, the authenticity of the certificates itself was questionable.
Of their joint counter affidavit, AGS Leisure and Ms. Kalpathi informed the courtroom that allowing the plaintiff to let in extra proof would delay the disposal of the go well with and that he shouldn’t be allowed to abuse the method of the courtroom.
After listening to all of them, Justice P. Velmurugan allowed all three functions on April 8, 2024, on the situation that the plaintiff should pay prices of ₹1 lakh every to Mr. Atlee, AGS Leisure, and Ms. Kalpathi on or earlier than April 25 and report compliance on April 26.
Nevertheless, on April 26, when it was introduced his discover that the prices had not been paid, the choose dismissed all of the three functions, resulting in the submitting of the current appeals, together with petitions to condone the delay of 73 days in submitting them.