Mumbai: The Amboli police on Monday registered an FIR against film producers Gopala Pillai Vijaykumar and M Paul Michael for alleged cheating and defamation related to the copyright of the 1989 Malayalam film 'Ramji Rao Speaking', which was remade into the Hindi movie 'Hera Pheri'.
The action was taken based on a complaint by Hindi film producer Firoz Nadiadwala, who alleged that the two made false copyright violation claims about 'Hera Pheri'.
According to the FIR, the remake rights of 'Ramji Rao Speaking' were sold in 1993 by Sarga Chitra to Compact Disc India, and Nadiadwala's firm legally purchased the rights from it for Rs 4.5 lakh on March 24, 2000. He acquired the copyright for Hindi and other languages, excluding Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam.
Nadiadwala's complaint stated: "In 2000, producers M Paul Michael and Siddique-Lal claimed copyright and story rights and attempted to prevent the global release of 'Hera Pheri'." He said he later filed a complaint with the Mumbai police chief. He alleged Michael and Siddique, through intermediaries, then contacted him, threatened him, and demanded money. They allegedly warned that they would create legal hurdles at the last moment before the film's release, causing fear and pressure. Siddique died in 2023.
On December 30, 2024, Nadiadwala said he received a copyright violation notice from Vijaykumar and Michael. In October 2025, Vijaykumar filed a petition in the Madras High Court, claiming that Seven Arts International Ltd purchased the copyright of 'Ramji Rao Speaking' from Sarga Chitra for Rs 3 lakh in 2022. Nadiadwala alleged that this claim was fabricated and intended to cheat, and that the accused were now demanding Rs 60 lakh and 25% of the profits from 'Hera Pheri'.
Nadiadwala further alleged that the accused spread false information about copyright on online platforms and in the media.
