All for a biopic? After Anand Kumar's 'Super 30', Abhayanand embroiled in a major row, Details inside

Over the last few months, mathematician and educator Anand Kumar has been reportedly accused of making false claims about his achievements. Abhayanand, an IPS officer and co-founder of the Super 30 programme has alleged that Anand has deceived and intentionally sidelined him. However, now, things have taken a different turn. We had told you that a documentary was being made on the cop and educationalist as well. Titled Abhayanand — The Cop With A Chalk, the docudrama has been financed through crowdfunding and is ready to be sent to festivals. But, the former DGP of Bihar has stalled the project, which chronicles his life and episodes. It seems he, too, wants a part of the prized cake and now has decided to get an entire feature film written for him. 

A source close to the development reveals, “Prakash Jha had approached Abhayanand to make a biopic on him around January this year. But that would have meant breach of contract. So, the director and the retired officer decided to make a film based on true events, inspired from his life. Abhayanand didn’t want to inform his director about the same, till very recently when he confirmed the same to a Bihar daily, without taking Jha’s name.” But Abhayanand had told us a few days ago, “It’s not a biopic, first of all. Why don’t you talk to Prakash Jha because I didn’t approach him to make a film on my life? As of now, I still have to see anything from him. I also need to see what part of my life he would like to depict.”

(A copy of the contract signed between Abhayanand and Sujit K Singh)

It is then that we found out that the film has already landed in a legal soup, much before it could be planned properly. Much like the row over the film Super 30, this one is gaining momentum, too. Apparently, Abhayanand had signed a contract in December 2017 (copy of which is available with After Hrs) with Sujit K Singh, who helmed his documentary. The contract clearly mentions that the director will have the ‘exclusive right to make a biopic on Abhayanand’s life for a period of twenty-four months from the date of this agreement’. Not just that, the agreement also adds that after this interim period of two years, ‘all negotiations will take place through first party (Sujit) and will be entitled to 30 per cent of entire fees that the second party (Abhayanand) will receive. The 30 per cent will be paid to the director by the producer directly from Abhayanand’s share.” 

Sujit had set out to make the docudrama, thinking it will provide research for the Bollywood biopic he was planning to make later. The contract’s clause says that the ‘final copy of the documentary will need written approval of the second party and then only can it be available for exhibition and the copyright of this documentary will rest with the second party and his children after life’. Now, Abhayanand is allegedly using this clause to arm-twist the filmmaker. 

Our source tells us, “Abhayanand has told Sujit that he won’t approve of his docudrama till he lets go of the rights to the biopic. He is merely being insecure that Anand Kumar is getting the bigger piece of the cake and all the fame. He has also used this situation to tarnish Anand’s image. After completion of shoot in Patna, he suddenly changed his stance and asked the director to sign an agreement asking for Rs 15 lakh, 30 per cent profit and IPR rights of documentary, which was never what was initially discussed or agreed upon. The film was crowdfunded, the IPR was to rest with the director. But he threatened Sujit to keep the footage if he didn’t sign.”

We also hear that now, Abhayanand has sent a legal notice to Sujit, to stall the release and screening of the project. All this hullabaloo has shaken up Prakash Jha, too. The source adds, “He can see what’s happening to Super 30, so he doesn’t want to risk it and make a biopic, in case it becomes another major controversy. So, he has dropped the plan now.” When we called the filmmaker, he had a rather strange reaction. Jha told us, “I don’t know who Abhayanand is, I don’t even know myself.” 

On contacting Abhayanand, he said, “This is an issue which is being placed in a court of law, not on social media. There’s no point talking to the media about it. Whatever reply has to be given, has to be done in court. The outcome has to be decided there, nowhere else. The court has already asked Sujit for a show cause notice and once he files it, the argument will start. The next date of hearing is on September 20.” Sujit remained unavailable for comment.