Journalist accuses Netflix's 'Reporting Live' of plagiarism
What's the story
Chennai-based journalist Sandhya Ravishankar has accused Netflix and the makers of Reporting Live, a Hindi film starring Parineeti Chopra, of plagiarism. In a detailed post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), she alleged that the story of the film was based on her life as a journalist. She also demanded a public apology from Netflix and writer-director Dhruv Tripathi for not giving her credit for the movie.
Allegations
'You owe me a public apology'
Ravishankar wrote, "The next time you want to name a reporter character Sandhya, show her uncovering illegal sand mining, create a Tamil villain, and pick bits & pieces from MY real life story which was pitched to you TWICE in 2022 and 2023 AND not give me any credit at the least.... Think hard and well."
"You owe me a public apology at the very least but I'm certain you have no moral fiber in you to do so."
Similarities
Ravishankar called it a 'crappy' movie
The film follows a reporter named Sandhya (Chopra), who investigates an illegal sand-mining racket.
Ravishankar added, "Thankfully it was a supremely crappy movie with ham performances and @ParineetiChopra was nothing like me. She was nothing like any reporter & the newsroom portrayal was idiotic & amateurish. You've been clever enough to try & escape a lawsuit by altering the story enough."
In a separate post, she said, "They have taken bits and pieces of my work and added some masala."
Film details
'Reporting Live' cast and crew
Tripathi and Mihir Jadhav are the writers of Reporting Live.
The film also stars Deven Bhojani, Adil Hussain, Shekhar Suman, and Nassar.
Tripathi previously told Mid-Day that the team spent two years researching illegal sand mining and following the work of journalists.
He said, "Something broke in me when I saw those incidents."
"This thriller, so to say, is a hat tip to these ordinary heroes."