Lingaa (2014)
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Sources
The Times of India <> The Times of India <> The Times of India
Fact file
'U' censor certificate without cuts.
Running time: 174 minutes
Languages: Tamil, Telugu and Hindi.
It would be the first time ever in superstar Rajinikanth's 40 year career, that his movie is releasing on his birthday. 12th December
Year: 2014
Released on 3000 screens across the world.
Crew
Produced by Rockline Venkatesh
Directed by KS Ravikumar
Music: AR Rahman
Camera: Rathnavelu.
The film is directed by KS Ravikumar, who had earlier given hit films to Rajini like "Muthu" and "Padayappa". Rathnavelu's cinematography and Anthony's editing.
A.R.Rehman has composed music for Rajinikanth for the 7th time in all while it is the third time to give the music for the combination of K.S.Ravi Kumar and Rajinikanth.
Cast
Rajinikanth in a dual role. According to rumours he was paid Rs 60 crore for the film
Heroines: Sonakshi Sinha and Anushka Shetty.
Title of Lingaa
Apparently, the film has been named after Rajinikanth’s grandson Linga, who is the son of actor Dhanush and Rajinikanth’s elder daughter Aishwaryaa R Dhanush. Indian Express
Plagiarism?
Rajinikanth took strong objection to a petition lodged by aspiring filmmaker KV Ravi Rathinam of Madurai that the story of Lingaa has been plagiarised from his script, based on the life of Colonel John Pennycuick, a British engineer behind the construction of the Mullaperiyar dam, which he had written for a movie titled 'Mullai 999'. KS Ravikumar, who directed the film, and Rajinikanth himself filed a counter affidavit claiming that Lingaa is based on a story written by Mr. Ponkumaran
In his affidavit, Rajinikanth accused the petitioner that the plagiarism allegations on his film have been levied to tarnish his image. "The name, fame and repute enjoyed by me worldwide have been tarnished as if the film 'Lingaa' is a product of a copy-cat. I have been roped into unnecessary controversy. I hereby reserve my right to proceed against the petitioner for damages. Besides, a film needs to have 13 continuous scenes similar to that of the script written by the complainant for it to be considered as plagiarism. A bare reading of the affidavit filed by the petitioner does not disclose such an allegation," Rajinikanth said, adding that the subject of Mullaperiyar dam and nationalisation of rivers cannot be claimed as a copyright.
Case dismissed
The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court dismissed the writ petition seeking a stay on the release of Lingaa, saying merits of the rival claims made by both parties that they owned the story cannot be investigated in summary proceedings in a writ petition.
Justice M Venugopal of the bench said the appropriate remedy for the petitioner was to file a civil suit “before the competent forum or avail other remedies available under general law or criminal law, if he desires so”. The judge said the case did not have the merit for hearing as a writ petition. ”The petitioner himself is not sure of his rights or what duty he seeks to enforce through which by way of present writ of mandamus. On the basis affidavit and typed set of papers of this case, it is a fit case to be dismissed in limine as not maintainable,” the judge said. ”The petitioner cannot claim copyright in an unpublished work. The statements in Youtube do not constitute publication of story,” the judge said.
The court said even without knowing or attempting to know the exact story line of Lingaa, the petitioner had ventured to file the present plea on a mere guess and surmise with an intention to gain undue publicity for himself and hold respondents to ransom and make illegal gain out of it. Also he filed the petition “with an inordinate and unexplained delay at this eleventh hour” which disentitled him from maintaining the present writ, the judge said. In his petition, filmmaker Ravi Rathinam had alleged that the story-line of Lingaa was same as that of his 2013 movie Mullai Vanam 999. Justifying his claim, he said the entire story was uploaded on YouTube on February 24, 2013.
