Mumbai: Filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s ‘Animal’, which featured Ranbir Kapoor in the lead role, had received mixed reviews from the audience and critics for its unconventional storyline.
After almost a year and a half, director Suneel Darshan has accused the ‘Animal’ director of copying his 1999 film ‘Jaanwar’, which featured Akshay Kumar as the male lead.
During a recent interview with Bollywood Bubble, asked if he wants to remake any of his films, Suneel indirectly hinted at Vanga for plagiarism.
“Main kaise banaun? Meri filmon ki nakal itne log kar chuke hain. Ek film hai Jaanwar. Jaanwar ka English kya hota hai? Uski kahaani kaunsi hai? Aapne Animal dekhi hai na? Aapko pata hai na kaunsi kahaani hai? Lekin main claim nahi karta, kyunki us director ki treatment bahut anokhi thi, aur bahut achhe tareeke se usne us film ko treat kiya. But if the producer had acknowledged the truth, it would have been much better (How do I make films now? So many people have already copied my work. There’s a film called Jaanwar. What is the English word for Jaanwar? What’s the story of that film? You’ve seen Animal, right? You know which story I’m talking about. But I don’t make any claims, because the director’s treatment was very unique, and he handled the film very well),” Suneel said.
“I thought it was better to stay silent, because somehow, there have been other films like this too, and they’ve been massive hits. I feel like I’m inspiring people. My cinema is continuing to inspire them, and those films are becoming huge blockbusters. There’s one hero, a very big star, who also did a film that’s very, very similar to mine. And the writer from whom they bought the story is also a very big name. That film too was a massive hit. So if you see the film, it’s strangely very similar to my film,” the filmmaker added.
Both ‘Jaanwar’ and ‘Animal’ had left cash registers ringing at the box office.