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Author Vishwas Patil accuses makers of Panipat to having stolen the 'soul of his book'; HC refuses to entertain stay order

The upcoming Ashutosh Gowariker directed Panipat, starring Arjun Kapoor, Kriti Sanon and Sanjay Dutt has been making headlines every now and then, for the right as well as wrong reasons. The tale of the historic battle fought in Panipat between the Marathas and Ahmad Shah Abdali, landed into troubled waters after Peshwa Baji Rao's descendant raised objection over a dialogue and accused of demeaning Mastani. However, the problems seemed to meet no end as recently, Vishwas Patil, the author of the book titled Panipat and a play named Ranangan', based on a renowned historical event during the life and history of Peshwas or Marathas in the third battle of Panipat, caused an obstacle for its release. Vishwas, as per reports, filed a lawsuit against the makers. He accused them of stealing the soul of his book after watching the trailer. He, during an interview with a media agency, told that if its proven wrong, he is willing to apologise or else the makers have to compensate.

"The moment I watched the trailer, I was very sure they (the makers) had stolen the soul of my book, and then there was no other alternative left but to go to the court. I have asked them to show me both the script and the movie. If I am wrong and they have not lifted from my plot, then I'll publicly apologise, else they have to compensate," Vishwas told during an interview with a media agency.

 

Recommended Read: Peshwa Baji Rao's descendant claims Arjun Kapoor-Kriti Sanon starrer 'Panipat' portrays Maratha general and wife Mastani in a derogatory way

However, the Bombay High Court refused to entertain the plea and refrained from putting a stay on Panipat's release. A Single Judge Bench of Justice SC Gupte cleared film’s December 6 worldwide release. The Court held, "Projecting Maratha warriors in positive or good light is not copyright-able. The case of infringement prima facie not made out even in first blush."

Directed by Ashutosh, Panipat is produced by Sunita Gowariker under their home banner AGPPL in association with Rohit Shelatkar's company – Vision World. The film stars Arjun as Sadashiv Rao while Kriti is his wife Parvatibai. Sanjay Dutt is the menacing Ahmad Shah Abdali. Apart from them, it features Padmini Kolhapure, Mohnish Bahl and Zeenat Aman in special roles. Panipat is scheduled to release on December 6, 2019.

(Source: Bar And Bench/ Agency)

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