The Saaho Poster Is A Blatant Rip Off! Some Of That Big Budget Should’ve Been Spent On Poster Design
Historically, and well even now, Bollywood has been accused of blatantly ripping off original ideas of other artists. Many Bollywood movies have been accused of being “inspired” in every aspect imaginable. From catchy tunes and plot lines to characters, movie posters and everything else, apparently, everything goes. In a time where some Indian filmmakers are constantly putting out original work, some popular films manage to put those efforts to shame. Among the many things that some films flat out copy, movie posters are the worst. These posters are widely distributed, in physical copies, all over the country. So the artwork featured on them is exposed to Indian audiences, who might not even watch the movie. It is so lame to copy artwork for your movie poster, which is what the newest release Saaho has been accused of!
Don’t get us wrong, there is a big difference between copying the idea of a movie poster and the actual artwork. From Shahrukh Khan’s Ra.One (2011) ripping off Batman Begins (2005) to the massive hit Baahubali (2015) copying Simon Birch (1998), it is honestly outrageous. Brought to light by industry watchdogs Diet Sabya, Saaho‘s misstep is worse because it is such a shameless copy!
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1wbvxHpwv7/
In a post shared by the artist, we can clearly gauge the hurt and betrayal an artist feels when their work is demeaned as such. Not only did the filmmakers fail to acknowledge her work as an inspiration (forget monetary compensation!), they also did a piss poor job in copying it. They even left the festival-goers featured in the original on the poster. How pathetic! Fortunately, ever since the story hit the web, the art community and otherwise have showered their support for the artist. We want to call out the makers of Saaho as well, guys, this is NOT OKAY!
Shilo Shiv Suleman is a Bengaluru-based artist who works with contemporary art. For the original artwork that was copied in the poster, this fierce woman put in blood and sweat. The tears are probably being put in now. She revealed, “Pulse and bloom is a biofeedback installation that reacts to people’s heartbeats, and it came to exist because of a series of personal relationships. It was born from love (like me). We had support from Burning Man but we also pulled out of our own pockets to make it manifest. I left my home for the first time, moved to another country, went out into that desert. It cost me a heart. It was a gift, and a sacrifice for all of us involved, and changed the paths of all our lifelines.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1wHQT3h5n8/
In a post shared by the artist, we can clearly gauge the hurt and betrayal an artist feels when their work is demeaned as such. Not only did the filmmakers fail to acknowledge her work as an inspiration (forget monetary compensations!), they also did a piss poor job in copying it. They even left the festival-goers featured in the original on the poster. How pathetic! Fortunately, since the story broke on the interweb, people have been showering their support for the artist. We want to do the same and call out the team behind the Saaho Poster, THIS IS NOT OKAY.
So how do we make the people responsible for this answerable to their actions? While there are legal procedures to claim compensation for their work being stolen, why should artists be subjected to that at all? We are pretty sure of the makers if Saaho approached the team at Shilo Shiv Suleman, they would have more than happy to lend a helping hand while being given due credit and compensation. Artists don’t create stories to be lost in darkness, they want their message and vision to impact as many people as they can. But, only when presented in the right light and when they’re compensated for. Not as just a passing thought as a poster of a blockbuster movie that will make millions at the box office and be on their merry way!
