South actor Mukesh's next Malayalam movie titled Dhamaka, whose teaser was dropped a few days ago has now run into troubled waters, for noted Television actor Mukesh Khanna, who is known for his portrayal of the iconic superhero Shaktimaan in the show with the same name, has filed a case against Mukesh and the filmmaker Omar Lulu, for using Shaktimaan's character in the film without prior content from the show makers or himself. Sorry Shaktimaan Teaser: Mukesh Khanna Aka Gangadhar Returns with New Web Series – Watch Video

Mukesh Khanna filed the complaint against Omar at the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) and also urged the union to stop the usage of the character by the filmmaker in his movie and also stated that he will take legal action of the scenes were not removed. In the (said) teaser South Actor Mukesh can be seen dressed in Shaktimaan's uniform for a dream sequence.

Speaking to BT, Mukesh says, "This is not done, I found the usage objectionable. I am the copyright holder of the character, his costume, theme music and more. No one can use it in a film without my permission, that too in a funny manner. The makers of the film didn't have the courtesy to ask, inform or seek permission, that's the reason I sent the complaint to FEFKA." Doordarshan Turns 60: Mahabharat, Dekh Bhai Dekh, Malgudi Days; The Unforgettable Classic Shows of the ’90s

He continues, "I am not in favour of that too, but on such platforms, you often can’t trace the original source of the video. Regardless, I comment on them saying, ‘You have grown up watching Shaktimaan and it isn't right to give the character such a portrayal'. People have apologised too when I point that out. However, that's not the case when a film or a serial uses Shaktimaan, they need to ensure there is no copyright infringement."

Filmmaker Omar Lulu took to Facebook recently to apologise for the scene in question and also mentioned in his post how their intention of 'apeing' Shaktimaan's character in no way was done to show him in poor light, but an attempt to hero-worship a character that a huge majority of Indian audience has viewed.

Read The Filmmaker's Post Below:

The filmmaker, when contacted by the daily, was quoted as saying, "It was used just for a fun sequence that is about 10 seconds long. We aren't reproducing the character; in fact, we used it as a mark of appreciation to Shaktimaan. The idea initially was to say he is like Superman, but then I said to the crew, 'let us use Shaktimaan instead. Our audience will identify better with him as he is an Indian superhero."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 18, 2019 04:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).