Rakesh Roshan Faces Possible Arrest for Copyright Violation in “Krrish 3”

The Uttarakhand High Court has postponed the arrest of Roshan until September 19, 2016.

[Rakesh Roshan and son Hrithik Roshan. |Photo Source: Pinterest]

Are the rich and famous really untouchable? As of late, it seems like they may not be as protected as they thought. Bollywood icon, actor, producer, and director, Rakesh Roshan has been the trending subject of a pending arrest for copyright infringement.

Dehradun-based writer, Roop Kumar Sonkar, filed a FIR on May 21 against Roshan for copyright violation. Sonkar accused Roshan of using parts of his novel, “Suardan,” in “Krrish 3.” The Uttarakhand High Court postponed the arrest of Roshan until September 19. Justice UC Dhyani refused Roshan’s request of squashing the FIR through his lawyer Aman Rab and instead asked the police to refrain from action until September 19. The court stated that they will then come to a decision on whether Roshan should be arrested or not. The “Krrish” series creator stands by his claims that the script was his original work and there is no copyright infringement at all.

The 2013 Diwali release of “Krrish 3” is not new to scrutinization or allegations of foul play. The movie claimed to not only pack cinema houses and break records during its first week, but allegedly had box office performances in India close to the 250 crore mark. However, it was speculated that it eventually closed its tally in the 180 crore to 190 crore range. Many also claimed that not only did the movie perform well behind “3 Idiots” but also behind Bollywood hits such as “Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani.”

The Roshan family refuted these claims then as well, Roshan’s son and Bollywood actor/heartthrob, Hrithik Roshan, made a statement against these financial claims.

“Some from the industry and certain sections of the media are hell-bent on putting me, my father and ‘Krrish 3’ down. I have maintained my silence until now but these derogatory manipulations need to stop. ‘Krrish 3’ has done a business of about 244 Crore in India and around 55 Crore overseas. I wonder who these people are who have been so affected by these numbers and my success. Are they the ones I call my friends I wonder? I would like to tell them that they need not ever be insecure about another man’s success because all they need to do is concentrate on their own hard work which in turn will help them achieve what they want. Believe in karma. As my father and I do. And one last thing about my father and me as a team- We’ve only just begun!”

Though a united family front was presented to many of these allegations, “Krrish 3” was also accused of copyright infringement in 2013 by a Madhya Pradesh resident, Uday Singh Rajput. Rajput also filed a petition in the Bombay High Court, where he actually claimed that he had written the script for “Krrish 3” and was denied the credit for his work.

Moreover, Rakesh Roshan’s next film, “Kaabil” is quickly becoming a new battleground for controversy for plagiarism as well. Producers are even incurring losses of up to 12 lakhs per day as Hrithik Roshan is currently unable to shoot. The movie’s release is also clashing with Shah Rukh Khan’s “Raees” on the same date.

Clearly, Rakesh Roshan is not out of the woods just yet—and may not be for quite some time.