Author challenges ‘Panipat’ makers
Vishwas Patil says the film directly lifts from his book of the same name
Best-selling Marathi novelist Vishwas Patil said he will “publicly apologise” to the makers of Panipat, if they prove that the upcoming film is not inspired by his 1988 novel of the same name.
Now in theatres, the Ashutosh Gowariker-directorial starring Arjun Kapoor and Kriti Sanon, recently found itself in a controversy after Patil filed a lawsuit in the Mumbai High Court accusing the makers of “stealing” the plot from his historical fiction. “The moment I watched the trailer, I was very sure [the makers] had stolen the soul of my book, and then there was no other alternative left but to go to the court,” said Patil.
“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,” he added.
Now in its 43rd edition, the book has sold more than 200,000 copies in Marathi. It has recently been translated into English by publishing house Westland. The writer has also written a Marathi play titled, Ranangan, based on his novel.
Patil’s book and play, as well as Gowariker’s film, are based on the third battle of Panipat, which was fought between the Maratha empire and the Afghan army on January 14, 1761.
While the 60-year-old author agreed that the story of the battle is in public domain, and admitted that no one individual could claim copyright over it, he argued that his book added “many new shades and colour” to the historic event, which have been lifted by the makers of the film.