Kerala district court restrains Tovino Thomas’s Minnal Murali producers and Netflix over alleged copyright infringement
Producers of the Tovino Thomas starrer Minnal Murali are facing restrictions imposed by a district court in Kerala due to allegations of copyright infringement by the film’s writers Arun Anirudhan and Justin Mathew. According to a report by The News Minute, the writers have filed a petition seeking an injunction order against any parties using their characters for commercial purposes.
The writers claim to be the sole owners of the characters they have created and filed the infringement case after the production company announced the creation of a cinematic universe without seeking permission to use their characters for spin-offs or merchandise.
The production company announced a film called Detective Ujjwalan starring Dhyan Sreenivasan as part of the cinematic universe. An announcement video hinted at a possible universe being created with a connection to the Tovino Thomas film. Additionally, a comic book featuring the character Minnal Murali was released earlier, targeting children.
Minnal Murali, starring Tovino Thomas in the lead role, is a Malayalam language superhero film directed by Basil Joseph. The story follows Jaison, a young tailor aspiring to move to the USA but is transformed into a superhero with lightning-induced powers like levitation, strength, and speed. Another individual hit by the same lightning becomes the superhero’s opponent, leading to a battle to save the village from destruction.
The film was released directly on OTT platforms in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and is currently available for streaming on Netflix. It received critical acclaim for its performances, screenplay, and visual effects.
In a recent interview with Pinkvilla, Tovino Thomas hinted at a potential sequel to Minnal Murali, stating that the first film was not forced and a sequel would happen organically when the time is right.
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