Hollywood concept artist accuses Kalki 2898 AD makers of plagiarism
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Following the release of the trailer for "Kalki 2898 AD," Hollywood concept artists Oliver Beck and Sung Choi have accused Vyjayanthi Movies of plagiarizing their artwork.
Oliver Beck revealed to Indian Express that the filmmakers initially approached him for collaboration, but after negotiations failed, he noticed striking similarities between his work and the visuals in the trailer released on June 10.
Both Beck and Choi shared side-by-side comparisons of their original illustrations with frames from the trailer. While Choi later deleted his tweet, Beck continued to voice his concerns. "Sung Choi highlighted the issue of his work being used without permission in the 'Kalki 2898 AD' trailer on Twitter. After watching the trailer myself, I recognized elements clearly inspired by my own creations," Beck said.
Beck further elaborated on the subtle nature of the alleged plagiarism. "It might be difficult for non-artists to identify, but the artistic community can easily see the similarities in color palettes and shapes. It's not an exact copy, but the resemblances are too significant to ignore, especially since they had contacted me for this project and were familiar with my portfolio," he explained.
When questioned about potential legal action, Beck acknowledged the complexities involved. "Legal recourse is challenging without direct copying of my artwork. Typically, successful legal action requires obvious plagiarism, like in Sung Choi's case where the duplication was almost identical," he stated.
Beck noted that this incident marks the first significant instance of his work being plagiarized in an Indian film. "While minor instances have occurred before, this is the first time my artwork has been duplicated on such a large scale," he added.
"Kalki 2898 AD," directed by Nag Ashwin, stars Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Kamal Haasan, and Disha Patani. Set in a dystopian future inspired by Hindu scriptures, the film is set in the year 2898 AD and presents a post-apocalyptic world.