Netflix film Yeh Ballet director Sooni Taraporevala has accused the makers of new Deepika Padukone starrer Levi’s Jeans ad of plagiarism.
Taking to Instagram, Taraporevala said that she was shocked to see the film Yeh Ballet studio used in the Levi’s ad starring Deepika Padukone. She said that the studio for Yeh Ballet was created by Shailaja Sharma from scratch as there was no such studio anywhere in Mumbai. “Basically @nadiaeye (the director of this ad) saw Yeh Ballet and decided to plagiarize our set down to the very last detail,” she wrote in her post.
“Would Levi’s and the director ever think of doing that in the west without permission / acknowledgment, and passing it off as their own creative work? This is not homage this is intellectual theft! It’s SO unfair to our wonderful production designer @shalzoid to have her work ripped off like that,” she said in her post.
“Copycat culture in India needs to be called out and cancelled. You would think a foreign production company and director would know better. Are you so creatively bankrupt? What were you thinking? @levis_in @nadiaeye @offroadfilms rupinsuchak @newland.tv,” Taraporevala said.
Deepika Padukone starrer Levi’s ad was released on February 26, 2021.
Yeh Ballet was released on Netflix last year. Here is the trailers.