Ram Gopal Varma responds to Boney Kapoor and Sridevis legal notice

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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USA: Free $30 Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…On the weekend, it was reported that actress Sridevi and her husband Boney Kapoor had sent a legal notice to Ram Gopal Varma for the apparent inappropriate usage of her name as the title of his next venture, the theme of which deals with a young boy's fascination with an older woman.

Now responding to the same, RGV posted on Facebook talking about his idea of making the film, while also attaching a copy of the legal notice that he had received. Below is a reproduction of the RGV's explanation for titling his film Sridevi.

"My response to the legal notice sent to me by Sridevi with regard to my film Sridevi

In the legal notice sent to me, there seems to be an apprehension that the film Sridevi is based on a crush I personally had for Sridevi in my college years…I, many times over the last 5 years expressed this publicly in both the media and also to her which was taken by all concerned in a humorous and healthy spirit.

Now coming to the film Sridevi, the story is about a teenager's infatuation towards a 25 year old woman…a subject matter like this was earlier dealt with, in such films as Malena, Cinema Paradiso, Summer of 42, Raj Kapoor's Mera Naam Joker etc. to name just a few… But coming to the film Sridevi neither is the woman playing the title role in my film is an actress nor the boy is a director..Also there's a huge age gap between the boy and woman in the film Sridevi which is not the case with me and the real Sridevi.

Ram Gopal Varma responds to Boney Kapoor and Sridevis legal notice

The title has been given to us by the Andhra Pradesh Film Chamber which is the authorised body for such deeds… Moreover films with this same title Sridevi have been made and released at least 3 times in the last two decades …The Film chamber already sent a reply saying that they are well within their rights to grant the title to us.

The film was earlier titled Saavitri but we changed it not for reasons of the protests as some sections of the media are falsely reporting…The reason for the change in title is due to a miscommunication on the production part they went ahead with the title without acquiring it from the previous right holder of the title…when the previous title holder refused to give the title we changed it to Sridevi. After the producer got the title he went ahead with the printing of standees and hoardings with the new title..When Mr.Boney Kapoor called me I explained to him both orally and in a msg which I have also given to the press with regard to clearing the speculations on the so called controversial content of the subject…

I am deeply hurt by this action of Sridevi whom I always admired and respected and I strongly believe that she was influenced by others with vested interests..I am going ahead with the title Sridevi because I am well within my legal and moral rights to use it..legal because a name cannot be copyrighted and also like I said, the film has nothing to do with the real Sridevi to the extent that the protagonist is not even an actress…moral because I know in my heart that I will never do anything to degrade or demean Sridevi and the final outcome of the film will prove that…"

Article written by staff at Bollywood Hungama. Read more

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