Archive · 19 Aug 2026
Sayani Gupta’s Directorial Debut Aasmani Withdrawn Amid Plagiarism Allegations
Sayani Gupta made a short film called Aasmani.
The film was removed from a New Zealand film festival after another filmmaker raised a plagiarism complaint.
The filmmaker says Aasmani is too similar to her unfinished documentary, Prabha.
She says Prabha has been developed since 2019 and that she shared some materials in 2023.
Paramita Ghosh, who received those materials through a mutual connection, is credited on Aasmani.
Gupta strongly denies copying the other filmmaker’s work.
She says Aasmani is an original comedy developed independently over several years.
The disagreement is an allegation, and no finding against Gupta is described in the article.
Aasmani was withdrawn from the Indian Film Festival of New Zealand after copyright and plagiarism allegations.
An unnamed FTII filmmaker alleges the short film borrowed heavily from her unfinished documentary Prabha.
The filmmaker says Prabha has been developed since 2019 and registered with the Screenwriters Association in 2020.
She says she shared Prabha’s trailer and conceptual materials with Sayani Gupta in 2023 through Paramita Ghosh.
Gupta denies plagiarism, calls the withdrawal deeply unfair, and says Aasmani was independently developed as an original fiction comedy.
- Who
- Actor and filmmaker Sayani Gupta and an unnamed FTII filmmaker are involved in the dispute.
- What
- Gupta’s short film Aasmani was withdrawn from a festival amid copyright and plagiarism allegations.
- When
- Prabha has reportedly been developed since 2019; it was registered in 2020, and materials were shared in 2023.
- Where
- The film was withdrawn from the Indian Film Festival of New Zealand.
- Why
- The withdrawal followed a complaint alleging that Aasmani borrowed heavily from Prabha without permission.
Complainant’s allegations
Sayani Gupta’s response
Similarity and originality
Complainant’s allegations
The unnamed FTII filmmaker alleges that Aasmani borrowed heavily from her unfinished documentary Prabha without permission.
Sayani Gupta’s response
Gupta says Aasmani is an original fiction comedy whose script was developed independently over several years.
Access to materials
Complainant’s allegations
The complainant says she shared Prabha’s trailer and conceptual materials with Gupta in 2023 through a mutual connection.
Sayani Gupta’s response
Gupta says the complainant has not watched Aasmani and is making the plagiarism claim based on assumption.
Meaning of the withdrawal
Complainant’s allegations
The complaint led TIFFNZ to withdraw Aasmani from its festival lineup.
Sayani Gupta’s response
Gupta calls the withdrawal deeply unfair and says her initial silence was an effort to resolve the matter through appropriate authorities, not an admission of guilt.
- Film involved
- Aasmani, Sayani Gupta’s directorial debut short film
- Festival
- Indian Film Festival of New Zealand (TIFFNZ)
- Allegation
- Aasmani allegedly borrowed heavily from the unfinished documentary Prabha
- Prabha development
- The complainant says the documentary has been in development since 2019
- Registration
- Prabha was reportedly registered with the Screenwriters Association in 2020
- Material sharing
- The complainant says she shared a work-in-progress trailer and conceptual materials in 2023
- Gupta’s position
- She denies plagiarism and describes the festival withdrawal as deeply unfair