‘Prabhas’ Adipurush poster a copy of our work,’ claims an animation studio accusing T-Series Films of plagiarism

A new title has been added to the list of films that have been accused of plagiarism over the years. An animation studio has claimed that a poster of the much-anticipated Bollywood film Prabhas featuring Prabhas is a copy of their work.

The said poster showcases Prabhas carrying a bow and arrow is a duplication of their design. When comparing its own Shiva poster to the Adipurush poster that featured Prabhas as Raghava, Vaanarsena Studios stated that the creators should at the very least give it credit.

The studio took to Instagram and re-shared a collage of the Adipurush poster and the still of Lord Shiva. “"Looks like makers inspired Adipurush first look poster from Lord Shiva still. Such a shame T-Series Films, should mention the original creator who developed the artwork,” their now-deleted Instagram story read.

One of the users commented, “Hello, the original artwork on the right is by the artist @markeviv. Please mention the same in your post. Let it reach the makers so that the due credit is given to this incredible artist. This is so disappointing to know!”

Vivek Ram, the artist from Vaanarsena Studio, also took to LinkedIn and accused the makers of “’blatantly ripping off'” their artwork. He described his waking the day following the poster release as being “very disappointing.”

He wrote, “To my surprise, what I saw was a blatant rip-off of a very old piece of artwork of mine of “the legend of Ram”. My artwork had become popular and many have ripped it off in the past. something I’ve gotten used to. But to see it done on such a large scale was disheartening.”

He continued, “I don’t know if this was the director’s call or the production company, but an artist’s work has been plagiarized. As artists, we put in a lot of time, effort, and energy into the pieces we create. We put them out on social media to share our joy and creation with the world. To see another large art form, and industry just disrespectfully steal it. It is a shameful act.”

Directed by Om Raut, Adipurush stars Prabhas, Saif Ali Khan, Kriti Sanon, and Sunny Singh in lead roles. The film is scheduled to hit cinemas on January 12, 2023.