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A still from Squid Game :
Soham Shah the director of the 2009 Hindi-language film Luck has reportedly filed a lawsuit against Netflix accusing the streaming giant of copying his film’s thematic concept for its hit K-drama series Squid Game. Shah’s legal action seeks to prevent Netflix from “infringing on his Luck copyright.
Since its premiere in 2021 the Squid Game franchise has seen significant success with Season 2 scheduled for a global release on December 26 and Season 3 already approved for 2025.
The series holds the record as “Netflix’s most popular series of all time,” with over 1.65 billion view hours in the first 28 days after its September 2021 debut according to the streamer. Despite its acclaim and success the show is now facing legal challenges.
Squid Game 2 actor Park Gyu Young is now entangled in a troubling South Korean porn scandal.
The lawsuit obtained by TMZ also names Hwang Dong Hyuk the writer of Squid Game who claims to have developed the story in the same year that Shah’s Luck was released. Shah contends that Squid Game has plagiarized the concept from his film and is seeking legal remedies to address what he describes as copyright infringement.
Director of Bollywood Film Luck Points Out Striking Similarities with Squid Game K-Drama
In his lawsuit, Soham Shah claims that his film Luck bears striking similarities to the popular K-drama Squid Game. Shah asserts that both projects center around a desperate group of people in debt who enter high-stakes competitive games with the goal of winning a large cash prize.
According to Shah his film which featured prominent Indian actors like Sanjay Dutt, Imran Khan, Shruti Haasan and Mithun Chakraborty, portrays characters who only realize their grim reality once the games begin. In Luck participants discover that losing means death, and as players are eliminated the prize money for the remaining contestants increases.
The lawsuit also highlights that Luck features cash-rich spectators betting on the players similar to the setup in Squid Game. Both stories involve ruthless high-stakes competitions where contestants battle for their lives, with the wealthy spectators exploiting the heartless nature of the games.
Shah’s film and Squid Game share notable plot elements: desperate participants, fatal consequences and spectators profiting from the competition.
The 2021 K-drama starring beloved Korean actors such as Lee Jung Jae, Lee Byung Hun, Park Hae Soo, Wi Ha Joon, Jung Ho Yeon and Gong Yoo, appears to mirror these aspects from Shah’s Bollywood film. The similarities have led Shah to file a lawsuit alleging that Squid Game has borrowed from the concept of Luck without proper acknowledgment.
Who wrote which story first ?
The claims made by the director of Luck are challenging to dismiss. Soham Shah asserts that he developed the story around 2006 which led to the film’s release in theaters across India the UK, the US and the UAE.
Shah argues that Luck was readily accessible for viewing when Hwang Dong Hyuk was creating the concept for Squid Game. This availability he suggests could have facilitated the development of the K-drama which began production in 2018 or 2019.
Shah also notes that Squid Game which premiered on Netflix in 2021 became a huge success significantly enhancing Netflix’s market value by over $900 million. The show’s immense popularity has only intensified scrutiny of Shah’s allegations.
The question remains whether the creators of Squid Game plagiarized the concept from Luck. While the legal system has yet to determine the outcome viewers can form their own opinions by watching Luck on Prime Video or YouTube while Squid Game the Emmy-winning series is available on Netflix.
Netflix has strongly denied any wrongdoing in response to the accusations. For more information you can read the statement provided to HT.com here.
Other Squid Game controversies
The recent lawsuit against Squid Game adds to the mounting controversies surrounding the series. Over a month ago the show’s leading actor Lee Jung Jae was implicated in serious fraud allegations alongside Park In Gyu, the former CEO of WYSIWYG Studios. Despite these claims, Lee Jung Jae’s agency has firmly denied any wrongdoing.
Adding to the turmoil Oh Young Soo who played Oh Il Nam in Season 1 was found guilty of sexual misconduct in South Korea in March. This verdict has cast a further shadow over the show, complicating its public image.
Choi Seung Hyun has a controversial background, having previously been convicted for marijuana use and accused of workplace bullying. His involvement in the show has drawn criticism and intensified the controversy surrounding the series.
Additionally in July a staff member from Squid Game Season 2 came under fire following a post on an online community. The post which was captioned “Saw a ‘Squid Game 2’ staff yesterday who thought shooting was a privilege,” criticized the staffer’s behavior.
It described an incident at Incheon Airport in South Korea where the employee reportedly displayed disrespectful conduct further tarnishing the show’s reputation.
These incidents ranging from legal issues and personal misconduct to problematic staff behavior have compounded the challenges faced by the Squid Game franchise.
As the series continues to attract both acclaim and controversy these ongoing issues underscore the complex landscape surrounding its production and public perception.