Top Bollywood photographer Dabboo Ratnani responds to plagiarism accusation

Top Bollywood photographer Dabboo Ratnani, who made a big splash last week with his annual calender featuring Bollywood stars, seems to have literally taken a leaf out of a popular German photographer’s idea and duplicated it as his own. But he maintains that it’s his own idea that he replicated from his 2002 calendar.

Actress Kiara Advani’s risque topless photo shoot for his eponymous calender where she’s shown covering her body with a giant leaf is now caught in a plagiarism row as several social media users have compared that photo to German photographer Marie Baersch’s work. A collage of the two images, placed side by side, is also doing the rounds and has triggered negative press against Ratnani.

But the photographer has denied the charges. He claims that he had done a smiliar photosheet featuring leaves with Tabu in his 2002 calendar. “Guess if I can reuse my camera, I can definitely repeat my own concept. If that doesn’t go down well with trolls then I admit to plagiarising my own self,” posted Ratnani on Instagram.

However, not many are buying it.

“Dabboo is a copy cat. He copied the photography concept of Marie Barsch,” a user commented.

A few even labelled him a ‘plagiarist’.

Ratnani’s annual calender is an institution of sorts in Bollywood where top actors are cherry-picked every year by the photographer for his revered photo shoot.

The calender cannot be purchased, but is distributed among his top clients. Actors including Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff and Shah Rukh Khan have featured in the current edition.

It was Advani’s first attempt at being featured in a Ratnani calender this year.