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The Commercial Court in Kottayam upheld a suit filed by screenwriter Reji Mathew claiming authorship over the 2012 film’s story, screenplay and dialogues.
Malayalam superstar Mohanlal’s 2012 film Karmayodha was plagiarised from screenwriter Reji Mathew’s work, ruled the Commercial Court in Kottayam, ordering the makers to pay the writer ₹30 lakh as compensation.
According to a report in Live Law, the court upheld a suit filed by Mathew claiming authorship over the film’s story, screenplay and dialogues. Released in 2012, Karmayodha was a Malayalam-language action thriller starring Mohanlal in the lead role. The film, directed by Major Ravi, followed an unhinged cop investigating the disappearance of a teenage girl.
Karmayodha was produced and positioned as a mainstream release and later sold across multiple platforms and formats. However, Reji Mathew was not credited as the film’s writer.
As per reports, the dispute dates back to 2010–11, when the writer was approached to develop a screenplay for a proposed project. He submitted a complete story, screenplay and dialogues, handed over drafts, and remained in discussions about revisions, title options and remuneration. A token payment was made, and the writer claimed the work was accepted in principle, pending producer approval. However, communication later ceased.
In 2012, Mathew came across reports of a film being made and released with a storyline substantially similar to his script, without credit to him. He alleged infringement of his authorship rights and damage to his professional reputation. The filmmakers, however, denied the allegations. Following a prolonged trial, the court rejected the defence version.
The court also prohibited the screening or broadcast of Karmayodha, or any films made in other languages using the same story, screenplay or dialogues, without Mathew’s consent and credit.
Earlier this year, Mohanlal and Major Ravi were reported to reunite for a film based on Operation Sindoor. The announcement drew criticism on social media over the filmmaker’s poor track record as well as for capitalising on the aftermath of a national tragedy.