Bits and Pieces

Monday, April 17, 2006

Update: Prasad on Pattiyal.

Spoiler Warning: Please skip if you are planning to watch Pattiyal (released 2006).

Wanting to verify web-chatter, I had rented 'Bangkok Dangerous' over the weekend. Was startled to find that the makers of the Thai movie (The Pang Brothers) had shamelessly ripped Pattiyal, to the last detail (ref: rollover screengrabs below). Mr. Vishnuvardhan (director, Pattiyal), touted to be the next Maniratnam, has been robbed off his credits. A sincere request to Mr.Vishnuvardhan - if you wish to stop this kind of nonsense, sue them! I am sure you wouldn't want to see audience intellect (Thai or Indian) be taken for granted.

It's interesting to note that another movie from Pang Brothers, 'The Eye', was a direct lift from Sneha-starrer , 'Adhu' (2004).

With Sarajo in Teakada. Saro, here, takes up Sami's role as well.

Selva-Koshy camaraderie. Strikingly similar setting...building included.

Ticket to Coimbatore (Hongkong, here), to kill Nachimuthu Gounder.

Sandhya's Granny. See, to the last detail.

...and
Rediff Slideshow - interviewing Vishnuvardhan.
From a Sify chat transcript:

laxmax asks Hi - Congrats on Pattiyal, but tell me honestly u have got a great script in the original bangkok Dangerous but for few changes you have been faithful to the original so where do u feel ur credit is ????
vishnu says where do you think it should be? i made my version .. so i have fun :)
[via]

Note:
The above images have not been used for commercial benefits. Image Courtesy: Film Bangkok & Pang Bros.
Bangkok Dangerous was released in 1999 (much ahead of Pattiyal).
The Eye was released in 2002 (again, earlier than Adhu).

Thanks to Mani, Mayil and Thiru for inputs.

posted by pradeep | Permalink | (10)

10 Comments:

idhula Vishnu perumaya beatti vera kodukkaraan.

By saranyan r, at 11:13 PM

Yeah, as he himself mentioned in an interview to Rediff, he didnt expect this kind of a reception. Must have thought he could get away with it had it been low-key.

Actually speaking, except for comments in few forums, his blatant copy of the Thai original's script hasnt gained much attention. By resorting to such means he has lost credibility.

By pradeep, at 12:24 AM

Try this, from Rediff(very funny):

Why did you decide to make a film on hired killers?
I like gangster movies -- from The Godfather to all the Korean films. When I decided to make a film on the gangsters of Chennai, I sat with real hired killers for a month and a half, and spoke to them. I also wanted something emotional in the film. That is how I decided to have the friendship between two orphans on the street as the main theme. These orphans have only each other as company.

Why did you decide to make one of them mute?
The inspiration to have a deaf and dumb guy as the most violent came from an Asian film. But Koshy, played by Arya, is a real life character. After I met him, he was killed in an encounter.

By pradeep, at 12:30 AM

Ada Pavingalllaaaaaa! (Vivek's Style)
After seeing Pattiyal, I started boasting to all northies about our Kollywood. Now Shame Shame!!
And also these kind of movies removes my guilty conscious for downloading pirated movies :) Feels Happy now!

Good find da!!!

By PoP, at 12:43 AM

Getting inspired from a movie is one thing and copying scene by scene is a different thing. It is the difference between Deva and Ar Rahman, tamil music directors. It is time that we start discouraging such movies and stop calling people like Vishnuvardhan as a CREATOR.

By Anonymous, at 6:04 PM

Respect for intelllectual property is absent among us. As long as we cannot respect that, we will still only be copycats.

By Umesh, at 4:36 PM

Wasn't 'The Eye' remade in Hindi last year too (as Naina)?

By Anil, at 2:45 AM

Pop,
"...these kind of movies removes my guilty conscious" - ha ha.

Thanks for your comments, Mayil and Umesh (anon was Mayil, btw).

Anil, thanks for the pointer. Our filmi market's voracious, no doubt.

By pradeep, at 3:07 PM

Chei naan kuda, ennamo etho-nnu ninachane. Ithula Maniratnam kuda vera comparison. Intha pozhappukku naandukitu sagalam.

By Anonymous, at 2:05 PM

//The inspiration to have a deaf and dumb guy as the most violent came from an Asian film//

It\\\'s a lift-off from this movie
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0307213/

By Anonymous, at 1:55 PM