SQUID GAME VS LUCK ROW: 'TOP GUN' AND 'PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN' PRODUCER JERRY BRUCKHEIMER SAYS 'VERY HARD TO DRAW LINE' BETWEEN PLAGIARISM AND INSPIRATION
A lawsuit filed by Indian filmmaker Soham Shah against Netflix's hit Korean drama 'Squid Game', has reignited a debate over 'plagiarism' and 'inspiration' that goes on in the film industry. In the suit that made headlines around the world, Shah alleged that the Korean series copied elements from his 2009 Bollywood film 'Luck', a claim that has been rebuked by die-hard fans of the series.
In an interview with ETimes, veteran Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer, known for backing some of the biggest blockbuster franchises, addressed the growing controversy about similarities between films. Over the past years, several Indian films including 'Fighter' starring Hrithik Roshan and 'Thugs of Hindustan' starring Aamir Khan, have been compared to Bruckheimer's iconic 'Top Gun' films starring Tom Cruise and 'Pirates of the Caribbean' starring Johnny Depp. When asked where producers and filmmakers draw the line between plagiarism and inspiration, Bruckheimer admitted, “Well, it’s a very hard line to draw. It’s kind of very flexible."
Even though his films in question are billion-dollar money-spinning franchises, Bruckheimer smiled and said, "We love it when we inspire people." However, he did add that it is often 'really hard' to copy films. He elaborated, "A lot of people have taken some of the things that we do and studied them and tried to recreate them. But, it’s always the director and the cinematographer who can make something really special, and it’s really hard to follow and copy those things."
As far as Shah's allegations are concerned, Netflix has firmly denied the accusations in a statement, saying, "This claim has no merit. 'Squid Game' was created by and written by 'Hwang Dong Hyuk' and we intend to defend this matter vigorously."
According to the lawsuit documents obtained by TMZ, Shah claims that 'Squid Game'—which became the OTT giant's most-watched series upon its 2021 premiere—is a "rip-off" of his film 'Luck', starring Imran Khan, Shruti Haasan, and Sanjay Dutt.
'Squid Game', created, written, and directed by Hwang Dong Hyuk, follows 456 financially desperate players who participate in deadly children’s games for the chance to win a massive cash prize of 45.6 billion won. Meanwhile, 'Luck' revolves around individuals believed to have an extraordinary amount of luck who are recruited to compete in high-stakes challenges.
READ ALSO: 'Squid Game' accused of copying the plot of 2009 Bollywood film 'Luck'
In the lawsuit, Shah claimed he wrote the story for 'Luck' in 2006, and the film was released in July 2009. Notably, Hwang has previously mentioned in interviews that he conceived the idea for 'Squid Game' in 2008, although it wasn’t developed until years later.
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