Is Ladies vs Ricky Bahl copied from Jeffrey Archer's book? Why he called Bollywood 'thieves'
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Jeffrey Archer and Ranveer Singh Photograph: (X)
British author Jeffrey Archer once called Bollywood a 'bunch of thieves'! But why?The bestselling author of Kane and Abel and Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less claimed that two big Bollywood films were copied from his books.
British author Jeffrey Archer died “suddenly and peacefully” at his home on October 5. He was 86. Archer’s death came as a shock to many of his fans and friends, some of whom had met him just a day before his death at an event where he signed books for several fans.
Since the news of his death broke, fans have been mourning the loss of the master storyteller. But did you know that Archer once called out Indian cinema for allegedly stealing his work?
Over a career spanning five decades, Archer wrote books that sold more than 300 million copies worldwide. Some of his famous works include ‘A Prisoner of Birth’ and ‘Kane and Abel.’
While his books made him famous, Archer was also known for several other aspects of his life, including his political career, his time in prison, and his controversial statements. On one occasion, he even called Bollywood “a bunch of thieves,” alleging that Indian filmmakers had copied his novels.
Among the films he named were Ranveer Singh’s Ladies vs Ricky Bahl and Rakesh Roshan’s Khudgarz.
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“Just look at your Bollywood! These bunch of thieves have stolen several of my books without so much as a ‘by your leave’. Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl and Khudgarz, and several others,” alleged Archer in an interview in 2015.
In the conversation, Archer claimed that Maneesh Sharma’s 2011 film Ladies vs Ricky Bahl was based on his 1976 bestseller Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less.
The book tells the story of three people who were conned by the same man. This is very similar to the plot of the film, where Ranveer Singh played the titular character Ricky, who cons three rich girls. Anushka Sharma, Dipannita Sharma, and Parineeti Chopra played the three women in Ladies vs Ricky Bahl.
The movie was produced by Yash Raj Films. The writer said that he was in the process of pitching his bestseller ‘’Only Time Will Tell'' to Hollywood and Bollywood production houses for a film adaptation.
Sharing his ordeal with Indian cinema, he said that while Hollywood companies wanted the rights to the book, in India he encountered ‘some second-rate Bollywood idiot’ who claimed to be a Bollywood star producer.
“And that does not mean some second-rate Bollywood idiot who goes around saying he’s a Bollywood star producer and then he is not! It’s true! What can I say? Such has been my Indian experience many times,” he told DNA.
Another movie that Archer claimed was copied was Rakesh Roshan’s 1987 directorial debut Khudgarz. He claimed the movie was based on his 1979 bestseller ‘Kane and Abel.’ Similar to the book's plot, the movie revolved around two feuding friends, played by Shatrughan Sinha and Jeetendra.
