MUMBAI: The much-touted remake of The Dirty Picture in Kannada by producer Venkatappa seems to have got a jolt after Ekta Kapoor, the producer of the original, filed a complaint against the use of the title.
In a letter to the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC), Kapoor has requested the body to withdraw the permission for the use of the title. She has given them a five-day deadline to do the needful in the matter.
Incidentally, it was the KFCC that had cleared the title for producer Venkatappa‘s yet-to-be-launched Kannada film.
On receipt of Kapoor‘s complaint, the KFCC executive committee is considering the issue and has referred the matter to a legal expert from whom they are awaiting a response.
Meanwhile, the film‘s director Trishul has vehemently said that he won‘t change the title and that he is prepared for a legal battle. "There is no bar on keeping a title of any other language film to be made in a different language. There are several precedents before. We have a Kannada film called Housefull (title inspired by Hindi movie) and Bhadra (Telugu title). We have legally obtained clearance from the KFCC. Why should we change the title now?", the director has reportedly questioned.
Apart from the title, there will be no similarity between the two films, opined the director. The film will have Pakistani actress Veena Mallik in the lead.
With the future of the Kannada film now in the dark, film folks have their eyes trained on Kapoor‘s reaction to the Tapas Pal made Bengali remake of The Dirty Picture.