The degree of plagiarism that has always existed is mind-boggling. The worst thing is that it exists not only blatantly, which everyone notices and comments on, but also on subtle and nuanced levels; and is pleased by the stalwarts of Indian cinema. How often have we cringed at the use of the James Bond theme song in the action sequences of so many 1960s and 1970s Hindi movies or been stumped by Shammi Kapoor crooning? Yar Dilruba, the Hindi equivalent of Don’t be Cruel by Elvis.

How so many English songs from eclectic sources ranging from ABBA to the Beatles to Osibisa and movie themes like Chariots of Fire have been unabashedly adopted and adapted by leading Indian film music composers like RD Burman, Rajesh Roshan, OP Nayyar and others? (these guys were able to compose their own amazing music).

Many of the iconic songs in Hindi movies are direct takes on foreign compositions. Take the case of the famous uthe sab ke kadam which is nothing but Polly Wolly Doodle in Hindi. Then there is the self-proclaimed cerebral filmmaker, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, in whose Parineeta, the inimitable Louis Armstrong’s iconic A kiss to build on Dream has been portrayed as kaise paheli hai yeh kaise. Sacrilege! The examples are so numerous that one cannot help but marvel at the shamelessness of it all.jab koi baat bigad jaye It’s just, When you miss the train I’m on. The song Yeh hai Bombay meri jannthat is on the lips of all conceited Mumbiakar is a plagiarism of My Darling Clementine.

One could go on and on about the songs, but what about other aspects of our vaunted movie-making? Taking the example of Jodha Akbar, the highly acclaimed historical biopic of the highly respected Ashutosh Gowarlikar. The final one-on-one duel between Akbar and his possible nemesis is almost a replica of the duel between Hector and Achilles in the movie Troy.

Or take the case of the cult film Agnipath, where Amitabh’s character basically echoes Al Pacino’s portrayal in Scarface, right down to the raspy voice. Really what all this shows are two things. One that our filmmakers and composers are lazy people who prefer to play it safe and modify world-class content conceptualized elsewhere. And second, they prey on the gullibility and ignorance of the average Indian moviegoer who is unaware that his idols are taking him for a royal ride.

It is no wonder then that the country’s leading filmmakers including mouth-watering and always opinionated Mahesh Bhatt are opposed to releasing dubbed international films in the Indian market as that would expose them to their core audience. By some strange coincidence, the Mumbai-based film industry, much like the old Mumbai industrialists club that resisted the entry of world-class products into India (remember the kind of cars we used to drive two decades ago) , would like the great Indian people to continue to be satisfied with plagiarized, repeated and borrowed ideas and themes, passed on as original content.

It’s about time someone put the bell on the cat, and expose these Bollywood charlatans (what a grotesque name) and put them on notice. Give us original material or we will source it ourselves where available