Weeks after its release, Shah Rukh Khan and Alia Bhatt's film "Dear Zindagi" has become the subject of controversy after being accused of being copied from a Canadian television show.
The makers of Being Erica sent a copyright infringement notice to Dharma Productions, which made "Dear Zindagi" for plagiarizing content from the Canadian comedy series without permission, according to The Quint. "Dear Zindagi," stars Khan as a psychologist who helps Bhatt's character through insomnia and love life struggles.
Similarly, "Being Erica" revolves around a woman in her 30s who seeks help from a psychologist to deal with various problems in her life. "Dear Zindagi's" director, Gauri Shinde, however strongly refuted the show's claims, stating that "Dear Zindagi" was an original story and she has not even watched a single episode of "Being Erica." The Canadian series premiered on CBC in 2009.
"Dear Zindagi is a deeply personal film and there is only one thing it borrows from, that's my life," Shinde said in a statement obtained by NDTV. "There are a million films and serials with therapists like there are with doctors. Just because there is a doctor in a film does not mean it borrows from another film with a doctor."
The "English Vinglish" director further added that she was smart enough to know that borrowing without credit is not right. She said that she was immensely disturbed by certain comments made by people who have no idea what they are referring to.
"I have not seen this series that they refer to and I cannot comment on what is in it," she continued. "In today's world where everybody sees everything, I am not so dumb that I believe I can get away by deliberate plagiarism nor am I so insensitive to borrow without giving credit from anybody who has created anything for such a sensitive and important cause."
Dharma Productions, which is owned by director Karan Johar, has previously acquired rights to make Bollywood remakes of Hollywood movies like "Stepmom" and "Warrior." "Dear Zindagi was lauded by critics after it opened in theaters on Nov. 25.