The entertainment world is currently grappling with the concept of script theft. Last year’s Oscar-nominated film *American Fiction* dealt with a similar accusation, and now, *Malayalee from India* faces a similar issue.
The release date for the film has been narrowed down to July, and as it will stream on SonyLIV, some claims have resurfaced, revolving around an incident of script theft.
When the film was released, the script faced some criticism, with the writing not being considered the best. However, it also sparked a controversy brought forward by Nishad Koya. He claimed that the makers of the film stole his script, altered it slightly, and that resulted in *Malayalee from India*.
Released on May 1st, Nishad Koya claimed that the film was adapted from a script he penned in 2021. As the allegations were made informally through Facebook, they were also criticized by the makers.
Listin Stephen criticized Nishad Koya for airing grievances on social media, suggesting he should have used formal channels, especially since the Film Producers Association had intervened, urging Nishad to delete his post.
Nishad countered, revealing he’d alerted director Dijo Jose Antony about script similarities over a year ago. Nishad’s script, intended for Jayasuriya and directed by Joshiy, faced setbacks and was eventually shelved.
Nishad claimed he did not formally register the script because it had been shelved, but he insists he has evidence of its creation from as far back as 2019, including emails detailing its development. The contested script, tentatively titled ‘Indo-Pak,’ underpins Nishad’s allegations against the creators of *Malayalee from India*.
During the final day’s press conference, Listin Stephen stated that Nishad’s accusations had severely impacted the production of *Malayalee from India*.
The truthfulness of the claim has not been proven, but it definitely raises some concerns. Though the West has advanced in terms of writers’ rights, Indian industries are yet to give writers the respect they deserve unless they are prominent figures.
https://x.com/ihsan21792/status/1787093198395052285?t=eHGdPT6X8A2wd8B1Lb7ihA&s=19
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