'Vakeel Saab' flashes man's phone-number without consent, he files complaint
Power star Pawan Kalyan-starring Vakeel Saab released last month, and was well-received by critics and the audience. However, in a new development, a man has now filed an invasion of privacy complaint against the makers. The individual named Sudhakar alleged that his phone number was shown in the movie without his permission, and that he has been receiving spam calls ever since.
According to a Times of India report, the complaint was filed at Punjagutta Police station. In one of the scenes, actress Anjali's morphed picture was reportedly shown on the screen along with a number. Sudhakar claimed it was his number, and ever since the movie released, anonymous callers have been verbally abusing him. His lawyer has sent a notice to the film producers.
A response to the matter is still awaited from the Vakeel Saab makers, as per reports. Recently, another Telugu film, V (starring Nani and Aditi Rao Hydari), also got embroiled in a controversy for including a model's picture without her permission. The complainant, Sakshi Malik, said that the makers allegedly used one of her photographs while referring to a sex worker in the movie.
Defendants had argued that they had obtained the image from an agency. "Simply using another's image, and most especially a private image, without consent is prima facie impermissible, unlawful and entirely illegal," the judge had ruled. The Bombay High Court had then directed Amazon Prime to take down the Mohana Krishna Indraganti-directorial from the platform until the producers altered the objectionable scene.
In all likeliness, a similar fate awaits Vakeel Saab makers. Apart from Pawan Kalyan and Anjali, the courtroom drama also stars Nivetha Thomas and Ananya Nagalla in the lead. Kalyan's comeback flick was widely appreciated by his fans, making it one of his biggest career hits. After enjoying a good run in the theaters, the Venu Sriram-directorial debuted on Amazon Prime on April 30.
