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After a successful theatrical run, Thudarum, starring Mohanlal and directed by Tharun Moorthy, who collaborated with K. P. Sunil for the script, is currently available on Jio Hotstar. However, allegations of plagiarism have now emerged from the controversial and once critically acclaimed director Sanal Kumar Sasidharan.
He made this claim via social media. According to him, he had created a script in 2020 for a film titled Theeyattam, and Thudarum bears a resemblance to the core plot and structure of Theeyattam. However, the makers of Thudarum did not offer any credit or acknowledgment to Sanal or his work, which he claims was the inspiration for Thudarum.
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As per the post, Theeyattam’s protagonist was named Ambi, and just like Benz in Thudarum, who drives an Ambassador taxi, Ambi was an auto-rickshaw driver. In Theeyattam, the innocent protagonist is accused of murder after the police find a severed head in his auto. According to Sanal, the makers of Thudarum stole elements from Theeyattam without fully understanding their significance. He acknowledges that Thudarum is a different film, but according to him, the differences are not enough to conceal the original source material entirely. He claims the changes were deliberately made to avoid recognition of the source.
