Sujoy Ghosh addresses decade-long plagiarism case over Kahaani 2: 'It's like a slow burn'

Sujoy Ghosh on Kahaani 2 (Pics/X)

Filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh finally received relief after the Supreme Court quashed the proceedings in a case alleging copyright infringement over his movie Kahaani 2 last month. Now, Sujoy opened up about the case, calling it a ‘nightmare', adding that his biggest mistake was taking it lightly initially.

Sujoy Ghosh about the plagiarism case

While attending the Samvaad Se Samjhauta event in Mumbai, Sujay opened up about the experience during a session on dispute resolution organised by the Screenwriters Association of India (SWA).

Recalling the case, Sujoy shared, "It's like somebody saying, 'You killed that person', I was like, 'I haven't', and why should I take it seriously, and that was my biggest mistake. Suddenly, I get a criminal case against me because IP in our country is a criminal case. So, if I accuse you of (plagiarising), you can file a criminal case against me. It came out of nowhere. Initially, I didn't take it seriously. It's like a slow burn, which starts gathering momentum and the fight goes bigger, and before you know it, it has hit you."

The complainant, Mehta, alleged that Sujoy stole the idea for Kahaani 2 from his script, Sabak. The filmmaker said the legal battle lasted 10 years, becoming ‘scary' as the complainant added more claims, such as meetings that never took place. "I hadn't met this gentleman, and he said he met me and gave me a script, and that I sent a thug to his place. I didn't know where all this was coming from. I had a hard time proving that I hadn't met him," he shared.

The director further credited the SWA's Dispute Settlement Committee, which reviewed both scripts and found no connection between them, which helped his case. "When I found out about the SWA verdict, I gave a copy of it to the Supreme Court, and when it went through the whole thing, thankfully, things were on my side, and I was given a clean chit by the court. It is quite a nightmare; it went on for about ten years," Sujoy said.

About Kahaani 2

Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh was written and directed by Sujoy and featured Vidya Balan alongside Arjun Rampal, Jugal Hansraj, Kharaj Mukherjee, and Tunisha Sharma. The film was released in 2016 and was a commercial success, earning Rs 54 crore on a Rs 17-crore budget. Soon after release, Sujoy was sued by a Jharkhand man named Umesh Prasad Mehta, who claimed that Sujoy had stolen his script and made Kahaani 2 from it.

Eventually, in February 2026, the Supreme Court dismissed the case, noting that the complaint contained only "bald and unsubstantiated allegations".