Fresh trouble in Nadaprabhu Kempegowda title row

3 months ago | 32 Views

The title dispute between directors TS Nagabharana and Dinesh Baboo, both of who are making films about the founder of Bengaluru, Kempegowda, continues. Nagabharana’s film, the first look of which was revealed earlier today, has Dhananjaya in the lead and is called Nadaprabhu Kempegowda. This is the second collaboration between the filmmaker and the actor.

Dinesh Baboo, meanwhile, has got Upendra on board his film Dharmabeeru Naadaprabhu Kempegowda, with producer and composer Dr Kiran Thotambyle now filing a police complaint in this case, as the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce has been unable to find a solution to this stalemate.

The background

Director TS Nagabharana is said to have registered his title Nadaprabhu Kempegowda a few years ago, while Dr Kiran registered Dharmabeeru Nadaprabhu Kempegowda only in 2023. However, subsequent to this , the team of Nagabharana's film secured an injuntion against the latter citing copyright infringement. Dr Kiran contends that Nadaprabhu Kempegowda is a public figure and does not fall under the purview of copyright. As such, he too is free to make a film on the founder of Bengaluru with a relevant title. A civil suit is currenty pending in court against the stay order and to allow Dr Kiran to go ahead with his production. A judgement is expected in early July.

On their behalf, Nagabharana claims to have obtained rights to the title from the chamber. His film will go on floors once Dhananjaya finishes his immediate commitments on Uttarakaanda and Anna From Mexico. The actor has also signed up for Halagali, a period film set during the Indian freedom struggle, which was earlier meant to be helmed by Darling Krishna.

Upendra, meanwhile, is awaiting the release of his return to direction, UI, a project that he’s been guarding fiercely and has not let out any details about. UI is likely to be in theatres in September or October, as per the latest buzz in Sandalwood circles.