Indian court throws out plagiarism case

ABU DHABI Malayalam movie Pathemari is running to packed houses in the UAE and India after an additional district court in Kerala lifted a temporary stay on its screening.

The Mamooty and Jewel Mary starrer hit a roadblock when Abu Dhabi expat Moidooty V. Mandoth got a court injunction against the movie, claiming its script was plagiarised by director Salim Ahamed.

But additional district judge E. M. Muhammed Ibrahim found no merit in the case and gave the go ahead for the movie’s release.

The national award-winning director Ahamed has repeatedly denied the allegation that Pathemari’s (wooden boat) story was based on Mandoth’s short story Swapnageham.

“There is absolutely no connection. The plagiarism charge against me was bogus and made with malafide intentions,” he told XPRESS recently.

Home dreams

Written and directed by Ahamed, Pathemari tells the story of Pallikal Narayanan (Mammootty), who migrates to the UAE during the 1980s oil boom.

Its plot has struck an emotional chord with many Malayalee expatriates in the country as the film portrays the trials and tribulations of the protagonist who nurtures a dream of building a house in his hometown. The story of Narayanan, who makes huge sacrifices to build a nest for his family and relatives, is a collective biography of thousands of expatriates who toil in Gulf countries.

Pathemari was tipped to be India’s official entry for the Best Foreign Picture category in Oscars.

However, it eventually lost to Marathi movie Court.

Ahamed’s lawyers reckon the negative publicity surrounding the movie following the court injunction and an earlier XPRESS report on the issue could have tilted the scales against Pathemari.

Shot extensively in Kerala and the UAE and distributed by Eros International, the movie was released in Kerala on October 9, and in the GCC on November 18. In the UAE, it was released in 60 screens across 38 theatres and has received an overwhelming response.