In a significant ruling for the Indian film industry, a commercial court in Kottayam has held that the script of the 2012 Malayalam action film 'Karmayodha', starring superstar Mohanlal and directed by Major Ravi, infringed upon the copyright of the original writer. The court has ordered the defendants, including the director, to pay substantial damages to the complainant.
The Core of the Copyright Dispute
The legal battle was initiated by scriptwriter Reji Mathew, who alleged that the film, released in December 2012, used his original story, script, and dialogues without his permission or proper credit. Before the film's theatrical release, Mathew had approached the court seeking a delay. At that time, the court permitted the release but imposed a crucial condition: the producers had to deposit Rs 5 lakh, acknowledging the existing dispute over the story, screenplay, and dialogue.
Despite this order, the film was released crediting Shaji and Sumesh as the scriptwriters, which Mathew argued was a direct violation of the court's interim directive. Following the release, Mathew pursued the case further, seeking Rs 40 lakh in damages and an official declaration of his authorship over the creative material.
Conflicting Claims and Court's Scrutiny
In his defense, the first defendant, director Major Ravi, claimed the story was his own original creation. He stated that Reji Mathew was merely one of several writers consulted during the process and had been paid Rs 10,000 by cheque and Rs 20,000 in cash for his inputs. Ravi contended that Mathew played no significant role in the actual creation of the final script.
Ravi presented an alternative narrative, suggesting that the petitioner had rewritten scenes after collecting discarded script pages from the film's location. However, the court found this argument unconvincing.
To substantiate his claim, Reji Mathew presented compelling evidence to the court, which included:
- A one-line story concept.
- Handwritten copies of the complete script and dialogues.
- All documents were certified by a notary.
Presiding Officer Judge Manish D A noted a critical piece of evidence: corrections in Major Ravi's own handwriting were found on the script pages submitted by Mathew. This observation significantly strengthened Mathew's claim of being the original creator.
The Final Verdict and Its Implications
After thorough consideration, the Kottayam commercial court dismissed the arguments put forth by the defense. The judge ruled unequivocally that the story, script, and dialogues were solely the creative creations of Reji Mathew.
The court issued a decisive order, directing the defendants, including Major Ravi, to pay Rs 30 lakh in damages to the complainant. Furthermore, the court issued a formal declaration recognizing Reji Mathew's complete copyright over the story, script, and dialogues of 'Karmayodha' under Indian copyright law.
This legal proclamation prohibits any future publication, film production, or broadcast of the material without Mathew's explicit consent and due credit. The ruling underscores the importance of protecting intellectual property and ensuring proper acknowledgment for creative contributors in the filmmaking process.
