‘Parasite’s Best Picture Academy Award sparks controversy with threats of lawsuits and complaints by President Donald Trump.
Filmmaker P.L. Thenappen is accusing Bong Joon-ho of plagiarism for the Oscar-winning feature film, ‘Parasite’.
Thenappan is the producer behind the 1999 romantic comedy entitled ‘Minsara Kanna’. He claims Bong stole the plot of his movie ‘Parasite’ in several instances. “I saw the South Korean film ‘Parasite’ and I feel that they have stolen the film’s crux from ‘Minsara Kanna.’ I’m in talks with international lawyers and contemplating on filing a case against the makers of Parasite soon,” he told India Today.
In an interview with TNM News, the producers say, “They have taken the plot from my film. When they find out that some of our films have been inspired by their films, they file cases. Similarly, it is only fair for us to do the same.”
‘Minsara Kanna’ director K.S. Ravikumar has a different opinion of the situation. He says, “I’m happy that the story has received an Oscar, even if it [‘Minsara Kanna’] served as an inspiration. However, filing a case is up to the producer.”
CJ Entertainment, the production company behind ‘Parasite’ responds to the claim saying, “We have no knowledge about plagiarism claims from an Indian film. We have not received any information regarding this issue.”
‘Minsara Kanna’ focuses on a young man who falls in love with a woman who comes from a rich family. His relatives fake their identities to work for the family and the main character poses as bodyguards and his siblings as a housekeeper and chef.
Box Office Success
In related news, ‘Parasite’ saw a record-breaking 234% increase in ticket sales after its historic win. According to reports, the dark comedy thriller made $5.5 million over the weekend to become the largest post-Oscar boost for a Best Picture winner in the last 10 years. The week following the Oscars ceremony, the South Korean film made 20% of its domestic earnings with $8.8 million, adding to a total of $44 million in the United States.
Earlier this month, ‘Parasite’ received a bigger North American theatrical release with Neon expanding its showing from 1,060 domestic theaters.
Donald Trump vs. ‘Parasite’
Not everyone is too happy with the results. President Donald Trump said he was not impressed.
“How bad were the Academy Awards this year, did you see? ‘And the winner is … a movie from South Korea,’ ” Trump said, impersonating an announcer, at a rally in Colorado.
“I’m looking for like, let’s get ‘Gone with the Wind’ — can we get like ‘Gone with the Wind’ back, please? ‘Sunset Boulevard,’ so many great movies,” he continued.
Trump said he didn’t know if “Parasite” was good. “I thought it was best foreign film, best foreign movie — no, it was the best. Did this ever happen before?” he asked
Related:
Oscars 2020: Complete List of Winners
77th Golden Globe Award Nominations
