SRK In More Legal Soup

Did Shah Rukh Khan steal OSO's script?

Posted online: Thursday , August 07, 2008 at 1448 hrs

A scriptwriter has moved the Bombay High Court against actor Shah Rukh Khan, director Farah Khan and others, alleging that Om Shanti Om is a copy of a script he wrote.

Ajay Monga, scriptwriter of films like Corporate and Fashion, has alleged that his copyright was infringed.

He had given a copy of the script to Shah Rukh-owned Red Chillies Entertainment in December 2005 and he had wanted Shah Rukh to play the lead role in his film, but did not get any response.

After the film was released in November last year, Monga filed a complaint with the Cine Writers' Association (CWA) in December, he states. But it rejected his application.

However, when he learnt that the film was to be telecast on television on August 10, he decided to move the High Court.

On Wednesday, Monga's lawyer sought an injunction from the HC to stop the telecast of the film on Sony Entertainment Television on August 10.

He pointed out that the satellite release of the film amounted to a fresh act of piracy and infringement of Monga's copyright.

Justice V M Kanade, however, has not stayed the telecast of the film but asked the parties to file their reply within four weeks.

Monga's story was that of a junior film artist falling in love with a superstar, who was engaged to another actor. At a point he saves her life. Later there is a rift between her and her fianc and the junior actor wins her over in the end, the suit says.

He has alleged that the story, screenplay, plots and the sequence of events in the first half of the film were almost identical to his script.

He has accused Shah Rukh, Farah, Gauri Khan (Director of Red Chillies) and Mushtaq Sheikh (co-writer) of infringing his copyright and using his script dishonestly in breach of confidence and trust.

All the four respondents have denied the allegations pointing out that the CWA dismissed Monga's complaint, stating that it found no similarity between his script and Om Shanti Om.

The petition will come up for further hearing on September 29.