The Kerala High Court has declined to issue a stay on the release of the film Neru, starring Mohanlal. Justice Devan Ramachandran, presiding over the Single Judge Bench, issued a notice on a writ petition filed by Deepu K Unni, a story and screenplay writer, who alleged that the script of the Jeethu Joseph directorial had been plagiarised. The court, however, refused to stay the film’s release on December 21.
Deepu K Unni, the petitioner, claimed that the script for Neru was his intellectual property and had been stolen by the filmmakers. He sought intervention from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), the Union Government, the state government, and the state police to halt the release of the film.
According to the petitioner, he had discussed his script with director Jeethu Joseph and actor Adv Santhi Priya, who are co-writers of the film, in 2021. Unni alleged that Joseph and Priya pressured him to hand over copies of the script, stating they needed expert lawyers to understand the “emotional court drama sequence.”
The petitioner further claimed that the respondents, including Jeethu Joseph, Adv Santhi Priya, and Neru’s Executive Producer Antony Perumbavoor, released the film’s trailer with sequences identical to his presented script without giving him due credit or involving him in the filmmaking process.
As of Wednesday, December 20, Neru’s pre-sales in Kerala have been notable, earning Rs 63.66 lakh across 740 shows, with an admission count of 38,621 and occupying 19.49 per cent, according to Forum Keralam’s Twitter Forum.
The film Neru revolves around the story of Sara, a visually impaired artist seeking justice after facing a traumatic experience. Apart from Mohanlal, the cast includes Siddique, Priya Mani, Anaswara Rajan, Santhi Mayadevi, Jagadish, and Ganesh Kumar in significant roles.
While the court has issued a notice to the respondents, it has refrained from halting the film’s release at this stage, allowing legal proceedings to unfold.
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