Mumbai: Ahaan Pandey and Aneet Padda’s romantic blockbuster ‘Saiyaara’ has landed in a plagiarism row, with actor-singer Amit Jadhav alleging that the film is a copy of his 2019 short film ‘Khwaabon’.
“I had tried speaking up last year too. I had actually received a direct message on Instagram, from YRF Talent in 2022, they wanted to get in touch with me. I asked them which project are they reaching out to me for, they didn’t answer. I didn’t know anyone there, neither had I given any audition for them to reach out. A week after Saiyaara’s release, my friends called me and said ‘tera toh story same tha’ I was shocked. I tried reaching out to them, even going to their office but my friends said they won’t entertain me or reply,” Amit shared in an interview with HT City.
Revealing that he went into depression as he had been trying to convert his short film into a feature film, Amit said: “I am a singer, so I kept getting work, I relaxed a bit because of that. But one day I almost committed suicide. I was sloshed, my parents saw and that’s how I got saved. I felt like the world doesn’t want me to succeed. I was not called for any auditions.”
“I had got producers too. We were going to shoot in 2025. But then Saiyaara happened, everything got derailed.”
Asked if he had got his script registered, Amit replied, “I am a part of the Screenwriter’s Association, but no I did not get the story registered in 2019 because it was a short film and out on a public platform as proof.”
Alleging that he tried to reach out to YRF after the release of ‘Saiyaara’ but got no reply from the production house, he claimed, “I wrote in the mail that I had received a mail from them in 2022 as well, and that Saiyaara’s story is similar to mine, iska clarification dijiye. I mailed twice, got no answer.”
“I should get some credit. Or I can be cast in some role atleast in some project. That’s all I am seeking.”
Last year too, there were claims about ‘Saiyaara’ being copied from the 2004 Korean film, ‘A Moment To Remember’.
There has been no clarification from director Mohit Suri and Yash Raj Films regarding the controversy.
Watch the short film ‘Khwaabon’ here:
