Ashutosh Gowariker’s Mohenjo Daro is in trouble. The producer-director who has been busy making his highly ambitious film, Mohenjo Daro, has made news for all the wrong reasons ever since the shoot began. And now the film might face another big jolt because of copyright issues.
The case is that Akashaditya Lama, the director of the film ‘Cigarette Ki Tarah’, says the script of Gowariker’s Mohenjo Daro is similar to the one he had written. The writer is a prominent writer for TV serials like ‘Kumkum’ and had assisted in ‘Gadar: Ek Prem Katha’.
Akashaditya has sent a legal notice to ‘Mohenjo Daro’ director Ashutosh Gowariker, UTV Films and Disney India and its lead star Hrithik Roshan.
When contacted he said “I sent him a handwritten script through Saluja which he returned after four days saying that he had just directed a period movie (Lagaan) and didn’t wish to make another one immediately.”
Hrithik Roshan’s look from Mohenjo Daro
“I was surprised to learn that Gowariker had already commenced his film’s pre-production. After re-confirming from several sources that his Mohenjo Daro is very similar to my script, I sent him another mail on July 18, 2014, reminding him about the script I had sent to him in 2002-2003” Akashaditya added.
The court has set a hearing on the 17th of December this year. The lawyers of Ashutosh Gowariker denied all allegations.
“Our client states that they had received a script from Mr Ballu Saluja in 2003. However, our client returned the script to Mr Ballu Saluja immediately without reading the same.”
But, Akashaditya still claims that he needs justice as a play and a film, based on his script, was to go on floors. But after the announcement of ‘Mohenjo Daro’, his financiers have backed out.
“After Ashutosh Gowariker announced his film, our financier backed out. It is causing us tremendous financial loss as well as hampering our credibility in the trade” he said.
Mohenjo Daro is scheduled to releases in theatres during the Independence Day weekend next year.