Jodhpur-based advocate Poonam Chand Solanki, who is said to be the ‘inspiration’ of Manoj Bajpayee’s latest courtroom drama ‘Sirf Ek Banda Kafi Hai’, is reportedly unhappy with the reported claims that the Apoorva Singh Karki-directed story is based on her. . , In the courtroom drama that airs Tuesday on ZEE5, Manoj plays a lawyer who fights an infamous rape case against a self-proclaimed tantrik in a Jodhpur court and gets the latter convicted.
Incidentally, Solanki was the lawyer who fought the 2013 Asaram Bapu rape case, and convicted the self-styled godman. “I have taken legal recourse in this matter. How can it be claimed that the film is inspired by real life events in which no NOC was taken from me, nor was the script approved by me? The agreement was signed. I sold the rights without informing.”
He said that the deal with him was for a ‘biopic’. Contrary to what is portrayed in the latest courtroom drama, that it is ‘inspired’ by real-life incidents, Solanki feels saddened by the fact that he has been ‘cheated’.
Even Asaram Bapu’s charitable trust, Sant Shri Asaramji Ashram Charitable Trust, has sent a legal notice to the makers of the film, alleging that it is “highly objectionable and derogatory”.
Solanki said, “I have filed a case in the trial court and notices have been served to the producers and others. Imagine, in June 2021, they signed an agreement with me and in September, they sold the rights to another party. Given… how can they do that,” Solanki questioned.
He also said that in February 2022, the same party had reached him with an addendum. Solanki said, “I was kept in the dark that the rights were sold. Even the party that bought them did not inform me.” Adding, “My intellectual property rights have been violated, hence notices have been served to the makers and the next hearing is scheduled on May 31.”
Solanki criticized the way the lawyer is portrayed as a hero in the film, saying, “I am not a hero, I just performed my duties as a lawyer. As I didn’t like the script was shown, I don’t know what fictional or non-fictional cases they collected, or whether they could have done it legally,” he said.