Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Sep 13: Actress Sayani Gupta has reacted after her directorial debut ‘Aasmani’ received a clean chit from the Screenwriters Association’s Dispute Settlement Committee (DSC) in connection with allegations of similarities with ‘Prabha’.

The film has been cleared of copyright infringement allegations by the body. The complaint was filed against Gupta and editor Paramita Ghosh and alleged similarities between ‘Aasmani’ and ‘Prabha’, a documentary that is yet to be completed.

After examining the submissions and independent expert comparisons, the DSC found that the two works shared only an underlying idea, while their storytelling, character development, conflict and story arcs were different.

The DSC observed that copyright protects the expression of an idea and not the idea itself, particularly in a case where the complainant’s work is a documentary based on the publicly known life of a real person.

Reacting to the decision, Gupta said, “As I had said earlier, truth will always prevail. I had respected the process and was grateful that the truth has come out. It always does.”

“This has been the most harrowing experience of my life. But as my grandmother would often quote Tagore and say ‘tomar potaka jaare dao, bohibare dao shokoti’. ‘Whoever you give your flag to bear, you also give them the strength to bear it’,” she added.

The DSC also noted that Gupta has filed a separate defamation suit against the complainant, in which the court has ruled in her favour.

Since issues in that case overlap with the DSC complaint, the matter is now sub judice, preventing the DSC from undertaking further adjudication.

The proceedings have accordingly been concluded and the complaint closed at the Screenwriters Association’s end, without prejudice to the legal rights and remedies available to either party.

The finding comes as a major relief for Gupta, removing the copyright dispute that had cast a shadow over ‘Aasmani’ during its global festival run.