Inspiration, adaptation or copy?

Inspiration, adaptation or copy?

We often heard after every blockbuster film these kind of arguments on almost all platforms of the media.  Some saying it is a copy of some other film and Director saying it is just an "inspiration."  Only very few directors escape from this DVD inspiration like Balachandar, Bharathiraja, Shankar, Bala, Sasikumar, etc.  For many years I have seen Indian directors copying from Hollywood, Film festival movies.  When I saw "Before Sunrise," I was awestruck with the imaginary phone scene (Ajith & Jyothika) from Tamil film "Vaali."  Many directors adapt/copy stories, scenes, dialogues, shots, etc.  Please don't misread that I am telling those directors who are copycat as not talented.

But some directors do it brilliantly, i.e. adapt them to our sensibilities correctly.  One example is "Gajini."  Christopher Nolan's "Memento" has an ingeneous screenplay that travels backwards.  AR Murugadoss rearranged the screenplay so that our audience can understand clearly with ONLY 3 flashbacks - first starts with diary reading by Inspector, second with next year diary by Nayanthara and the third with the orphaned girl in asylam.

Creative people in ALL fields have the urge to present the best from other regions and giving it to the local audience in their flavour.  Creativity itself is derived from experiences of many people as observed/experienced by the artist, actor, film maker, culinary, design, etc.  Creative people are the ones who normally apply a formula or theory applicable in one field to another.  For example, "every action there is equal and opposite reaction."  This is applicable in our day today life.  If you want to test just go and slap your neighbour (at your own risk).  "Myna" is a super hit film, but it might have been inspired by "Paruthiveeran."  Characters are almost same, ONLY change is the location.  As the package is good, no one questioned about this factor (the director never allowed you to think about it while watching the movie).

Mostly all directors use the same shots, screenplay techniques used by great directors like Hitchcock, Kurosowa, etc. but in different situations.  I saw "Stalkout" and when I saw malayalam film "Vandhanam" starring Mohanlal directed by Priyadarshan, I could conclude that the story is "Stalkout."  "Nayakan" has some sequences (killing of wife and revenge) similar to "The Godfather."  Mani rathnam is known for adapting autobiographies and he is successful in that like "Guru."  Even Dhirubai Ambani would have seen himself in the film.  Vetrimaaran's "Polladhavan" is inspired by well known "Bicycle Thieves" only difference being here it is pulsar and with the required regional ingrediants.  Actually, it is an incident that happened in when I was in +1, except that I have to go to Police Station to retrieve my bicycle unlike the movie climax.  I had seen an article that "Derailed" became Goutham Menon's "Pachchaikili Muthucharam."  Definitely people who couldn't watch the English film can enjoy this.