India's Oscar entry 'Homebound' faces legal battle over alleged copyright infringement

Homebound, recently selected as India's official entry for the Oscars, is now facing legal scrutiny as author Puja Changoiwala has initiated action against the filmmakers, alleging copyright infringement. The dispute comes at a crucial moment in the film's awards campaign. Changoiwala claims that the film not only shares its title with her book but also reproduces substantial parts of its content, including scenes and narrative structure.

She asserts that the overlap extends to the sequence of events in the second half of the film, closely mirroring her novel.

Changoiwala served a legal notice to Dharma Productions on 15 October, outlining the alleged infringements on a scene-by-scene basis. She states that the producers did not acknowledge any violation, prompting her to escalate the matter. Her next step involved approaching the Maharashtra State Legal Services Authority under Section 12A of the Commercial Courts Act as a mandatory mediation measure before filing a suit.

The author also accuses the production house of misrepresentation, especially regarding the use of the same title. She described the situation as "passing off," pointing to the fact that the script for the film was developed in 2022, a year after her novel's publication.

In an email statement, Changoiwala confirmed that her lawyer issued a legal notice to Dharma Productions after she viewed the film following its theatrical release on 26 September. The film had previously premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May, garnering international attention.

The makers of Homebound have maintained their stance, stating the film is inspired by a 2020 New York Times article, "A Friendship, a Pandemic and a Death Beside the Highway" by Basharat Peer. According to them, the story revolves around two childhood friends navigating the national police examination during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is not based on Changoiwala's novel.

Changoiwala, however, rejects this claim, arguing that similarities between her novel and the film go beyond the backdrop, as both works deal with the COVID-19 migrant exodus of 2020.

When contacted, a representative of Dharma Productions said, "We are responding to the claim legally and cannot comment anything right now."

As the mediation process unfolds, the matter is expected to be examined by the courts. The outcome may influence the film's standing during the remainder of its Oscars campaign and could prompt further discussion about intellectual property rights within India's film industry.