Hansal Mehta accuses 'Lucky Baskhar' producer of copying 'Scam 1992'
What's the story
Acclaimed director Hansal Mehta has accused Telugu film producer Naga Vamsi of "borrowing liberally" his latest film Lucky Baskhar from his successful web series Scam 1992. The allegations came to light after Vamsi slammed the Hindi film industry for only focusing on rich Mumbai areas like Bandra and Juhu during a roundtable interview. Boney Kapoor responded to his claims, leading to a heated debate between the two during the interview.
Positive outlook
'Nobody is bigger than the other': Mehta
Responding to Vamsi, Mehta wrote on X/Twitter, "Since this person Mr. Naga Vamsi was being so arrogant and now that I know who he is: His latest hit as a producer Lucky Bhaskar has borrowed liberally from the Scam series." He said, "Reason I brought this up is I feel happy that stories travel and a film in another language succeeds in replicating what has worked for us." But he warned against arrogance, saying, "Nobody is bigger than the other."
Twitter Post
Take a look at Mehta's post
Since this person Mr Naga Vamsi was being so arrogant and now that I know who he is : His latest hit as a producer Lucky Bhaskar
— Hansal Mehta (@mehtahansal) December 31, 2024has borrowed liberally from the Scam series. Reason I brought thisup is that I feel happy that stories travel and a film in another language suceeds… https://t.co/R4oC0kNHKc
Story similarities
'Lucky Baskhar' and 'Scam': A comparison of narratives
Lucky Baskhar, which is set in the 1990s, revolves around a lower-middle-class man who turns to financial scams to provide for his family. Meanwhile, Mehta's Scam series explores the biggest financial scandals in India's history. The first season explored the 1992 Indian stock market scam by notorious stockbroker Harshad Mehta, while the second season focused on Abdul Karim Telgi's role in a ₹30K crore stamp paper counterfeiting scandal in 2003.
Producer's perspective
Vamsi's remarks about Mumbai's sleeplessness and response to criticism
During the same roundtable, Vamsi claimed "Mumbai didn't sleep" after Pushpa 2: The Rule grossed over ₹80 crore at the box office in a single day. To this, Mehta retorted on social media, "Chill dude whoever you are. I live in Mumbai. Been sleeping really well." Pathaan director Siddharth Anand also joined in saying, "Mumbai has always been the city that never sleeps ;) It's ok, I guess some people don't know our real Mumbai!, (sic)."
Defense and clarification
Vamsi defended his remarks and clarified stance
Trade analyst Sumit Kadel slammed Vamsi for "disrespecting" veteran producer Kapoor, to which the former asked Kadel not to jump to conclusions looking at one clip. He wrote, "You don't need to teach us how to respect elders, we respect boney ji more than u guys do and there was no disrespect toward boney ji in that conversation it was a healthy discussion." He added he and Kapoor shared a laugh and hugged each other after the interview.