Kunal Kohli loses script battle to Jyoti Kapoor, pays 25 lakh as compensation
Director turned actor Kunal Kohli has lost the battle of a case of copyright violation and breach of confidence against script writer Jyoti Kapoor. The Supreme Court has issued the verdict in favour of Jyoti Kapoor and asked Kunal Kohli to pay a compensation of 25 lakh to Jyoti Kapoor for lifting her ideas and to give her credit for the plot.
The SC has found similarities between the storyline of Kohli's under-production film 'Phir Se' and Jyoti's script titled 'RSVP'. Jyoti, while speaking to Mumbai Mirror over the phone from Karnal in Haryana, described the Supreme Court verdict as a justification of her stand.
Kunal Kohli tweeted, “The judges asked us to go for a settlement and I agreed, as I don't believe in fighting with members of my fraternity. Judges felt that creative people should settle to promote creativity and culture. Case is finally over. Release date to be announced soon”.
Jyoti said the verdict has brought a closure of eight months long standing battle for justice. "The compensation will take care of the lawyer's fees. This is a professional, legal and moral victory for my fraternity and me. A friend who had given up on a copyright case half-way through called to say he was reopening the case," Jyoti said.
Jyoyi Kapoor sounds relief with the SC verdict in her favour. "I was ravenous. Now I've come home to my parents in Karnal and my mother has cooked a delicious dinner for me," she said.
Jyoti recalled that many friends from the industry told her to drop the case to avoid blacklisted. "Bills were mounting and I wanted to be able to focus on my writing. For a moment, the thought of giving up the fight crossed my mind. But then, my husband, Harsh Warrdhan, who's also a freelance writer, and I decided to move the Supreme Court which in two hearings gave its verdict. Today, I feel vindicated for all those who've been through a similar situation and thank my family, friends, the fraternity and even strangers for their unstinting support," she said.Kunal Kohli has called Jyoti 'extortionist' and 'publicity hungry' in the media.
