Grok Amid Row Over Plagiarism Allegation On Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies: Yes, it Seems So

Kiran Rao’s directorial Laapataa Ladies is facing allegations of copying a 2019 Arabic film Burqa City. Recently, a video shared by an X user shows scenes from Burqa City that closely resemble to Sparsh Shrivastava starrer, leaving netizens wondering if this Bollywood movie was original or not. The viral clip reveals that the Arabic movie follows a newlywed man searching for his wife after she is mistakenly replaced by another woman wearing a burqa.

As the video got booming traction on social media, netizens shared more aspects of the story. Adding to the controversy, Elon Musk’s AI chatbot supported the plagiarism allegations when asked by a user.

Grok AI approves Laapaata Ladies' plagiarism?

After the video went viral on April 1, social media users flooded the internet questioning and speculating whether Lapataa Ladies, India's official entry to the Oscars and presented as an original work, is actually heavily inspired by a 2019 short film titled Burqa City or it's just the bluff going around. One X (formerly Twitter) user even asked X AI, Grok, whether the online claims were true. The user wrote, “@grok is it true that Lapataa Ladies copied cinema?”

Grok responded, “Yes, it seems Lapataa Ladies may have copied Burqa City. Both films feature mistaken identity due to similar attire—ghoonghats in the Indian film, burqas in the 2019 Arabic short. Social media and reports highlight striking plot parallels, fueling plagiarism claims. No official response from the filmmakers confirms it, but the overlap is notable.”

For the unversed, Grok AI is a conversational generative AI chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s company, xAI. It is designed for both serious and lighthearted discussions, enhancing user interactions on X with features like question-answering, image generation, and more.

Also Read: Laapataa Ladies Faces Plagiarism Allegations For Second Time, India's Official Oscar Entry 'Copied' From Arabic Film?

Lapataa Ladies copied or original film? Netizens reacted with anger

Many users reacted angrily, questioning whether Kiran Rao much-talked-about had copied the concept from an Arabic film. One user wrote, “Nothing that Bollywood produces seems to be an original work of art. They are all brazenly copy-pasted from somewhere else, shamelessly billed as original work.” Another added, “Plagiarism in India. Not a new concept.” A third commented, “Abhi kuch nahi ho sakta.. I was under the impression that it was original.. good that this movie gave one beautiful song, Sajni Re, by Arijit.”

This is not the first time Laapataa Ladies, directed by Kiran Rao and produced by Aamir Khan, has faced plagiarism accusations. Last year, filmmaker Ananth Mahadevan alleged that the film's premise was copied from his 1999 TV movie Ghunghat Ke Pat Khol.

Released in cinemas on March 1, 2024, Laapataa Ladies stars Sparsh Shrivastava, Pratibha Ranta, Nitanshi Goel, and Ravi Kishan in lead roles. Set in rural India in 2001, the film follows the story of two brides who are mistakenly swapped during a train journey, leading to an unexpected series of events as their husbands search for the real bride.