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The dispute began on April 30, 2024, with Nishad Koya’s Facebook post outlining a plot similar to Malayalee From India. However, the detailed post vanished just before the movie hit theatres.
Listin Stephen, the producer backing Malayalee from India, slammed Nishad Koya’s plagiarism claim. Nishad, known for ‘Ordinary,’ insisted he’d drafted a similar script in 2021 for a Joshiy-directed film starring Jayasurya, which, despite being announced on Joshiy’s birthday, never took off as planned.
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On May 4, Nishad Koya shared his side of the story in an interview. He mentioned how Listin Stephen and the Film Producers Association stepped in, advising him to take down his social media post. Their rationale was to handle the issue through formal channels instead of public accusations.
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According to Nishad, his project, initially announced on Joshiy’s birthday, didn’t go as planned. During this time, Dijo got wind of the film’s storyline while shooting an ad with Jayasurya. Nishad found out about this when he tried pitching the script to Prithviraj, who disclosed Dijo’s involvement in a similar narrative. Upon talking to Dijo, he claimed there were only minimal similarities, mainly a Pakistani character in the plot. When Nishad watched the film’s teaser, he noticed significant differences, leading him to believe the projects were separate. However, the teaser was misleading. The initial teaser didn’t depict the movie’s plotline honestly; even the genre was different from the actual film. However, the second teaser released a couple of days before the movie’s release, painted a clearer picture.
Nishad provided additional details, expressing his growing doubts when the movie trailer was released, which were confirmed upon watching the film. He noted that a significant portion of Malayalee From India mirrored his story, albeit with altered treatment, suggesting more than mere coincidence. Koya also questioned Listin Stephen’s aggressive response to his disclosure of the film’s storyline based on his script and not Dijo’s.
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Listin Stephen, talking to Onmanorama, mentioned that Malayalee From India was announced about a year and a half ago. He pointed out that if Nishad had any issues, he could have simply contacted the Film Producers Association or the Film Employees Federation of Kerala. Stephen stressed his availability, indicating Nishad could have easily reached out directly. Considering Nishad’s industry experience, Stephen noted he should have known the proper procedures. B Unnikrishnan, FEFKA’s general secretary, reiterated that scriptwriters have legal options and can approach authorized associations if they believe their work has been plagiarized or stolen.
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