Lisa Ray has accused the makers of "Saaho" of plagiarism. The actress took to Instagram on Friday to write a post, where she has alleged how the makers of "Saaho" have copied an artwork of contemporary artist Shilo Shiv Suleman, and used it in one of their posters.
Lisa shared the two pictures, one of the original artwork and the other of a similar image featuring Prabhas and Shraddha Kapoor's photos on it.
Lisa wrote: "…We need to stand up and speak up. To hold up a mirror to these makers to make them understand THIS IS NOT RIGHT.
It's come to light that a big budget film production has ripped off one of Shilo's original creations. This is NOT inspiration but blatant theft. In no world, is this acceptable. The production did not contact the creator, asking her permission or offer to collaborate or offering a credit. Nothing. This is not right."
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What is creativity? What is art? Where does it come from? We know what it is not. It’s not your social status. It’s not your job title. It’s not your appearance. It’s not even the image you see in the mirror. Creativity and its sister Art reach us from the sweet spot of the universe- the soul you might say- through mystery. But I do know that the creator- artist is the channel for it. Let me tell you how hard it is to create- anything- original or authentic. I personally labored for years over my book, quelled the doubts and noise from others and didn’t emerge until I had almost undone myself. Because it’s a calling. And when I was moving through dark moment of self-doubt or creative blocks, I would turn to the work that @shiloshivsuleman puts out into the world and shares on her Instagram handle. She may not even know this, but I can recognize when a creator works honourably and deeply, bleeding, sacrificing, unsleeping, stretching herself in the direction of emotional bravery to produce work that births those feelings we all look for in day to day life. To feel inspired. To feel alive. That’s why when something dishonorable happens, we need to stand up and speak up. To hold up a mirror to these makers to make them understand THIS IS NOT RIGHT. It’s come to light that a big budget film production has ripped off one of Shilo’s original creations. This is NOT inspiration but blatant theft. In no world, is this acceptable. The production did not contact the creator, ask her permission nor offer to collaborate or offer a credit. Nothing. This is not right. I believed the Hindi film industry was evolving necessarily past stealing storylines and rampant plagiarism but the producers of Shahoo have obviously not gotten the memo when it comes to art. Here’s the thing- Creators are worthy of worship. What they produce are more lasting and precious so than all the other ‘things’ that can be taken away. Let’s hold these producers accountable for their infuriating, dishonourable action. How would you feel if a thief slid into your home and took away your most prized possessions? Your heart. Your soul. And your livelihood. Image @dietsabya
A post shared by lisaraniray (@lisaraniray) on Aug 30, 2019 at 5:05am PDT
The picture in question happens to be a poster of the song "Baby Wont You Tell Me," featuring Prabhas and Shraddha Kapoor. In the poster, the two actors can be seen walking hand in hand while the background looks very similar to the artwork shared by Lisa.
Taking a dig at the Hindi film industry, the "Dobaara" actress added, "I believed the Hindi film industry was evolving necessarily past stealing storylines and so called inspiration, but the producers of Shahoo have obviously not gotten the memo when it comes to art. Here's the thing. Creators are worthy of worship. What they produce are more lasting and precious so than all the other ‘things' that can be taken away. Let's hold these producers accountable for their infuriating, dishonourable action."
Lisa ended the note with a question, "How would you feel if a thief slid into your home and took away your most prized possessions? Your heart. Your soul. And your livelihood."
The makers of "Saaho" are yet to react to this.
"Saaho," helmed by Sujeeth has released in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil in theatres across the country today. The action-thriller stars Prabhas, Shraddha Kapoor, Evelyn Sharma, Mandira Bedi and Neil Nitin Mukesh.
