After Marvel Illustrator, Star Trek Artist Accuses Kalki 2898 AD Makers Of Plagiarism

Following an initial accusation against Kalki AD 2898, another concept artist, Oliver Beck, has alleged that the film's creators used his work from the animation series Star Trek: Prodigy without permission. Beck posted images of his matte painting alongside a scene from the film's trailer, noting the similarity. The person also expressed disappointment over the unauthorised use of his artwork.

Artists accuse Kalki 2898 AD makers of plagiarism

Oliver Beck took to his X handle to share a collage comparing his work with the visuals of Kalki 2898 AD. He wrote, "Sad to see that some of the work I did for Star Trek: Prodigy got stolen by Vyjayanthi movies in their trailer. This is the matte painting I did for Star Trek under direction of Ben Hibon and Alessandro Taini and then as it appears in the trailer."

Earlier, Marvel artist Sung Choi also accused the makers of Kalki AD 2898 of plagiarising his work. Choi shared a collage on social media comparing his illustration, originally published on ArtStation ten years ago, with a still from the film's trailer. He condemned the unauthorised use and expressed concerns about the ethical environment in the art industry.

Kalki AD 2898, a mythological science fiction film, stars Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Deepika Padukone, and Disha Patani, with music composed by Santhosh Narayanan. The trailer was released on June 10, and the film is set to hit theaters on June 27.

Times when Prabhas' films faced plagairism issues

This is not the first instance of plagiarism accusations involving a Prabhas film. In 2023, the animation studio Vaanarsena accused the makers of Adipurush of copying their work for the film's poster. They highlighted the similarities between the Adipurush poster and their original Lord Shiva artwork on Instagram. Artist Vivek Ram from Vaanarsena Studio also criticised the copying on LinkedIn.

Additionally, Lisa Ray previously criticised the makers of Prabhas' Saaho for allegedly plagiarising artwork from Bengaluru-based artist Shilo Shiv Suleman for one of the film's posters. Ray shared comparative images on Instagram, emphasising the striking resemblances between the original artwork and the Saaho poster.