Shahrukh Khan's Betaal Lands in Legal Trouble; Marathi Writers Accuse of Plagiarism!

Netflix's upcoming series Betaal has created quite a buzz with it's intriguing concept. The trailer which was launched a few weeks back has received a great response from the fans. However, as per the recent reports, Shahrukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment series Betaal has landed itself into a legal trouble. 

Marathi screenwriters, Sameer Wadekar and Mahesh Gosawi have accused the makers of lifting the plot of their zombie show, Vetaal. Sameer and Mahesh had registered their script with the Screen Writer's Association (SWA) and they have also registered a complaint with them. 

Talking to Mid-day, Wadekar said, "We had taken our script to several production houses. We hadn't pitched it to Red Chillies Entertainment, so the onus isn't on them, but on the platform that commissioned it. I haven't been able to figure out how [the idea] reached them. I am told the show went on floors in July 2019, a year after my script was registered with the Screen Writers' Association [SWA]."

He also added that there are atleast 10 plot points that are similar. They have depicted zombies as descendants of the Vetaal army from Shivaji's era while, in Betaal, they are shown as belonging to the British era. He also mentioned that they wrote a sequence where the army dances to folk music during a procession and a similar scene is included in the trailer. 

Even though the High Court dismissed their petition to put a stay on the show, he stated that the court has affirmed that they can seek damages if the charges of plagiarism is proved. 

The series will stream on Netflix on 24th May 2020.