Before the highly anticipated release of Jeethu Joseph's latest film Neru, in a surprising turn of events, author Deepak Unni approached the Kerala High Court, accusing Joseph and co-writer Shanti Mayadevi of plagiarism. He alleged that the storyline of Neru was plagiarised from his work. Unni filed a petition, claiming he had shared a 49-page script with the filmmakers three years prior the release of the film.

Jeethu Joseph shares Facebook post to address Neru plagiarism issue 

In response to the plagiarism allegations, Jeethu Joseph took to Facebook, expressing his commitment and sincerity towards "Neru, " A  approximate translation of what the filmmaker wrote would be:

“Just hours remain before Neru becomes yours. Similar to any other film I’ve worked on, I’ve approached Neru with utmost sincerity and enthusiasm. But for the past few days, right before my film’s release, a controversy has been created. As you may know, a person has come forth claiming the rights to Neru’s story, and has even approached the court. The synopsis of what the person wrote, along with the case files have been making rounds on social media as well. I request the audience to give the verdict on what is true and false, after watching the film in theaters tomorrow. - Jeethu Joseph”

When author Deepak Unni filed a petition against Jeethu Joseph

Author Deepak Unni filed a petition with the Kerala High Court that Jeethu Joseph and Shanti Mayadevi plagiarised his story, which went on to become Neru. He mentioned that he had discussed a script with the duo three years ago, and that they had compelled him to hand over a 49 page script to them, to seek advice from expert lawyers to “understand the emotional court drama sequence”.  Unni  further contended that he was intentionally excluded from the film after providing his script to Joseph and Mayadevi for consultation.

Despite the legal battle, the Kerala High Court decided not to intervene by refusing to stay the release of Neru. This decision came as a relief for both the filmmakers, allowing the much-anticipated courtroom to get released.

Neru, a 2023 Malayalam movie directed by Jeethu Joseph and starring Mohanlal, Priyamani, Anaswara Rajan, and Siddique.The movie is about a blind sculptor who seeks justice after suffering trauma. It is described as an emotional courtroom drama. The movie is 2 hours and 30 minutes long and has a cast of nine actors.