Director
Mani
Shankar
has
always
been
known
for
his
fiercely
original
films
like
16
December,
Mukhbiir
and
Rudraksh.
Reacting
sharply
to
the
plagiarism
charges
against
his
latest
film
Knock
Out
which
stars
Sanjay
Dutt,
Irrfan
Khan
and
Kangana
Ranaut.
Argues
Mani,
"First
of
all
just
because
my
film
shows
some
shots
of
a
man
in
a
phone
booth
being
targeted
by
a
man
with
a
gun,
it
doesn't
mean
I've
made
Phone
Booth.
How
utterly
ridiculous!
It's
like
saying
every
love
story
which
has
a
climax
on
the
airport
is
copied."
Then
Mani
adds
the
clincher.
"Phone
Booth
itself
is
apparently
a
copy
of
Kari
Skogland's
Liberty
Stands
Still.
So
I
don't
see
how
charges
of
plagiarism
can
be
levelled
at
us
when
the
film
is
itself
is
not
the
epitome
of
originality." L.
K.
Advani
who
watched
Knock
Out
on
Saturday
night
in
Delhi
certainly
found
the
film
refreshing
and
thought
provoking.
He
was
seen
emotionally
holding
the
director's
hand
after
the
screening.
Says
Mani,
"It
was
a
golden
moment
for
me.
He
wanted
to
know
how
I
had
got
to
know
so
many
inner
details
on
the
70
lakh
crore
rupees
that
were
taken
out
of
our
country.
Advanji
now
wants
to
watch
my
earlier
political
thrillers.
I'm
sending
him
DVDs
of
16
December
and
Mukhbiir.
My
film
Knock
Out
is
a
multi-layered
political
thriller
about
a
real
scam
that
rocked
and
nearly
ruined
our
nation.
A
man
being
held
hostage
in
a
phone
booth
is
a
very
small
part
of
the
film."
Story first published: Tuesday, October 12, 2010, 16:02 [IST]