A controversy has erupted over the just-released trailer for the Indian science fiction film, Kalki 2898 AD. Vyjayanthi Movies, the producer of Prabhas starrer, has been accused by Hollywood concept artist Oliver Beck of stealing his artwork.
Approached but claimed to have copied
Beck revealed a surprising detail in an exclusive interview with The Indian Express. According to him, Vyjayanthi Movies initially reached out to him about possibly contributing towards Kalki 2898 AD. However, there were no further discussions on this matter. Shortly after the release of its trailer in June 2024, Beck realized that it was pretty similar to his work.
Similarities which were spotted by artists
Beck is not the only one who noticed this. Another Hollywood concept artist named Sung Choi also made such claims through X (formerly Twitter). Although later he had deleted his tweet and still Beck stood firm in what he said while adding some people will not realize these similarities at first sight; however, none of my friends from art field can doubt it.
“Only when you are not an artist yourself, you may fail to recognize plagiarism,” stated Beck “But all my colleagues who are and our community generally has clearly seen my work being used as a reference.” He continued “The main things I took from those pieces are color palettes where they are same and shapes too. It is not exactly a copy though but their shapes bear resemblance with mine in almost all aspects of design which is going far beyond coincidences since they approached me for proposing working on this movie besides having seen every piece I had done along with knowing my portfolio.”
Sad to see that some of the work I did for Star Trek: Prodigy got stolen by Vyjayanthi movies in their trailer:https://t.co/KWrFKJkksn
This is the matte painting I did for Star Trek under direction of Ben Hibon and Alessandro Taini and then as it appears in the trailer. pic.twitter.com/CYFP008Rd7
— Oliver Beck (@OliverBeckArt) June 13, 2024
Challenges of legal action
Beck acknowledges the difficulty of pursuing legal action. Since his work wasn’t directly copied, it falls outside the scope of copyright protection. He contrasts his situation with Sung Choi’s, where a more blatant case of copying might hold legal ground.
Limited options for artists
Unfortunately, artists often find themselves with limited recourse in such situations. Beck highlights the option of a copyright strike on platforms like YouTube to raise awareness but admits the challenges in achieving a resolution. This is the first time Beck has encountered such a significant case of alleged plagiarism involving his work in the Indian film industry. He has faced minor instances previously, but this incident has left a sour taste.
Impact on perception of Indian film industry
The experience has negatively impacted Beck’s view of working in Indian cinema. He initially saw it as a positive opportunity for diversification, especially during a period of slow work in Hollywood. However, conversations with other artists have painted a concerning picture.
He explained, “As they spend a lot of money on actors, there is no budget left to pay artists, and they resort to plagiarising and doing some cheap work and it is really unpleasant. I spoke to another person who worked on Kalki 2898 AD but they quit after only a week because of a bad work environment. I have received a lot of negative feedback and now I am not interested in working in that industry.”
The accusations against Vyjayanthi Movies remain unaddressed by the production company at this time. Whether the controversy will have any impact on the film’s release is yet to be seen.
