Surender Pathak: Will file case in Delhi HC against Mirzapur makers

A still from the show

Popular Hindi fiction writer Surender Mohan Pathak is seeing red at the second season of Mirzapur. In the third episode of the Amazon Prime Video series, Kulbhushan Kharbanda's character is seen reading Pathak's novel, Dhabba, as the voiceover describes an erotic scene. Claiming that the content suggested in the voiceover is dramatically different from the original text of Dhabba, the veteran writer has described it as a violation of the Copyright Act and written to the production house Excel Entertainment, seeking the removal of the said scene.

"I am waiting for their response to my notice. If I don't hear from them within the stipulated period of one week, I'll file a case in Delhi High Court against the makers of Mirzapur 2," says Pathak.

Best known for his crime fiction series Vimal, the author, 80, says he was unaware of the development until his fans brought it to his notice. "When the complaints started pouring in, my daughter showed me the scene. The makers added their own filthy, disgusting [lines] as a voiceover and passed it off as the content of my novel, which was published 10 years ago. They used cheap porn to titillate the viewers, and to tarnish my image as a well-established mystery writer. In the voiceover, a character named Baldev Raj is mentioned; there is no such character in Dhabba. Many readers, who haven't read the novel, could get a wrong impression that the author, in his old age, has lost his mind and resorted to writing pornography to gain publicity. I consider it a conspiracy to defame me."

Surender Mohan Pathak

The novel features in another scene in the second episode, where Rasika Dugal's character takes charge of her life after suffering sexual abuse and battling suicidal thoughts. One might argue it's a powerful scene that establishes the importance of women characters in a largely male-driven plot.

When writing, Pathak counts depiction of sex and violence as off-limits. "I have written 270 mystery novels and thrillers in the past six decades, and they have gained immense popularity due to their gripping storyline and my distinctive style of writing. Never have I depicted violence and sex in graphic detail in any of my works," he asserts.

Krishna

mid-day reached out to writer-creator Puneet Krishna, Excel Entertainment and Amazon Prime Video, who remained unavailable for comment.

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