‘Film wrongly publicised, conditions violated’, alleges real-life hero behind Manoj Bajpayee’s ‘Bandaa’
Advocate Poonam Chand Solanki from Jodhpur, who is said to be the ‘inspiration’ for Manoj Bajpayee’s latest courtroom drama ‘Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai’, is reportedly unhappy over alleged claims that the story of the Apoorv Singh Karki-directorial is based on him. In the courtroom drama that dropped on Zee 5 on Tuesday, Manoj plays a lawyer, who fights an infamous rape case against a self-proclaimed godman in a Jodhpur court and gets the latter convicted.
Incidentally, Solanki was the advocate who fought the 2013 Asaram Bapu rape case, and got the self-styled godman convicted. “I have taken the legal recourse in this matter. How can it be claimed that the movie is inspired by real-life events involving me when no NOC was collected from me, nor the script was approved by me? Those who signed an agreement with me sold the rights without informing me,” Solanki told IANS.
He added that the agreement signed with him was for a ‘biopic’. Contrary to what has been portrayed in the latest courtroom drama, that it is ‘inspired’ by real-life events, Solanki feels sad with the fact that he has been ‘duped’.
Even Asaram Bapu’s charitable trust, Sant Shri Asaramji Ashram Charitable Trust, has sent a legal notice to the makers of the film, alleging that it is “highly objectionable and defamatory”.
Solanki said, “I have filed a case in the trial court and notices have been served to the producers and others. Imagine, in June 2021, they signed an agreement with me and in September, they sold the rights to another party… How can they do it,” Solanki questioned.
He also said that in February 2022, the same party had reached out to him with an addendum. “I was kept in the dark that the rights were sold. Even the party that bought them didn’t inform me,” Solanki told. Adding, “My intellectual property rights have been violated, so notices have been served to the producers and the next hearing is scheduled on May 31.”
Solanki also lambasted the way the advocate has been ‘portrayed’ as a hero in the film, saying, “I am not a hero, I simply discharged my duties as a lawyer. As the script was not shown to me, I don’t know what fictional or non-fictional matters they had collected, or whether they could do it legally,” he added.
