Tamil producer claims 'Parasite' is a copy, says he will sue filmmakers

PL Thenappan says the plot of Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar winning film is a rip off of his 1999 production

In a recent turn of events, Tamil producer, PL Thenappan, who holds the rights of the 1999 Vijay-starrer, Minsara Kanna, has declared that he will sue the makers of Parasite on account of plagiarism.

The Korean film that won big at the recent Oscars, seems have landed in hot waters with the producer being adamant that it is in fact a rip off, according to The News Minute.

Thenappan told the outlet, "On Monday or Tuesday, I will be filing a case with the help of an international lawyer. They have taken the plot from my film. When they find out that some of our films have been inspired by their films, they file cases. Similarly, it is only fair for us to do the same."

He also added that he would seek compensation from the producers of Parasite for copying the idea of his film.

Bong Joon-ho's Parasite created history by becoming the first foreign-language film to win the Best Film award at the Oscars, besides trophies for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Foreign Film.

Soon, Vijay fans were claiming the story of Parasite is the same as Minsara Kanna, a film directed by KS Ravikumar starring Vijay. Although social media has refused to take the plagiarism claims seriously, Thenappan insisted he means business.

Director Ravikumar on his part is happy that the controversy will bring international limelight to his film. "I'm happy that the story has received an Oscar, even if it (Minsara Kanna) served as an inspiration. However, filing a case is up to the producer," Ravikumar said, according to the website.

Minsara Kanna, also featuring Rambha, Monica Castelino and Khushboo, is about Kaasi (Vijay) entering the household of a rich woman as a driver and soon, one by one, gets his family members employed in her household, with a motive. All through the film, they must keep their identities a secret and work as strangers.

Parasite is a black comedy that talks of the class divide and how societal discrimination makes the affluent set insensitive about the less privileged. The film traces a fascinating tale of survival through the story of a lower-class family that infiltrates the household of a super-rich family one by one as employees.

Although the plot point would seem to bear a remote resemblance, Parasite is actually a very different piece of work, and also far more enriched in terms of cinematic idiom and aesthetics.