Indian Movie Poster Plagiarism Controversies: ‘King’, ‘Coolie’, ‘Saaho’ & More

Written By: Entertainment Desk

Nov 02, 2026 16:48 IST ⓘ

Indian movie posters that sparked copying allegations and debates over originality.

A movie poster has seconds to sell a world: one striking pose, a dramatic backdrop and a face that makes you stop scrolling. Occasionally, though, the reaction is less “When does this release?” and more “Haven’t I seen this somewhere before?” From superhero rescues to romantic embraces, Indian film publicity has repeatedly prompted comparisons with international posters, photographs and independent artworks. The latest example is Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘King’, whose October 27, 2026 poster brought another round of online comparisons.

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Some of the cases below involved direct complaints from artists; others remained debates among viewers. They are reported allegations and visual comparisons, rather than a list of proven copyright violations.

Here are 18 films whose promotional images became talking points for reasons their makers might not have anticipated.

1. King - Compared With ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’ And ‘Raging Fire’

A gun, a rose between Shah Rukh Khan’s lips and a fiery backdrop: King’s new poster certainly knew how to make an entrance. After its October 27 unveiling, social media users compared its colour palette, composition and rugged central figure with Ranveer Singh’s ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’. Some also invoked Donnie Yen’s ‘Raging Fire’ (2021). The discussion centred on shared action-poster imagery; those reactions do not establish that one design was copied from another.

Directed by Siddharth Anand, ‘King’ is scheduled for December 24, 2026. SRK leads a cast including Suhana Khan, Abhishek Bachchan and Deepika Padukone. With detailed story information still limited, the promotional campaign has been doing much of the talking – and this particular image gave fans rather more to discuss than its action-star makeover.

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2. Coolie - Compared With ‘Glass’, ‘Madame Web’ And ‘Rebel Moon’

For ‘Coolie’, the scrutiny spread across several promotional designs. A poster arranging the ensemble within fractured, glass-like sections prompted comparisons with ‘Glass’ (2019) and ‘Madame Web’ (2024). A separate trailer-announcement image was likened to ‘Rebel Moon’ (2023). Reports in August 2025 documented viewers circulating side-by-side comparisons; the coverage noted that the makers had not responded at that point.

Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Tamil action thriller opened on August 14, 2025, starring Rajinikanth, Nagarjuna, Soubin Shahir, Shruti Haasan, Sathyaraj and Upendra, with Aamir Khan in a special appearance. The fractured-glass design offered a practical way to fit that substantial ensemble around Rajinikanth. The controversy was whether the presentation felt distinctive enough when viewers placed it beside earlier campaigns.

3. Adipurush - Vaanarsena Studios Raised An Artist’s Complaint

The ‘Adipurush’ poster dispute involved an identifiable creator rather than anonymous comparisons alone. In October 2022, animation studio Vaanarsena alleged that the film’s first-look artwork resembled its earlier work. Artist Vivek Ram separately described it as a “blatant rip off” of his illustration, referring to his work as ‘The Legend of Ram’. He objected to a major production using a composition he said he had created without acknowledging him.

Directed by Om Raut, ‘Adipurush’ eventually released on June 16, 2023, starring Prabhas, Kriti Sanon, Saif Ali Khan, Sunny Singh and Devdatta Nage in its retelling of the Ramayana. This particular controversy concerned promotional artwork. It should be distinguished from the separate arguments about the film’s visual effects, dialogue and interpretation of the epic, which often get bundled into the same conversation.

4. Judgementall Hai Kya - Flora Borsi Called Out Animal-Eye Concept

The unusual image of an animal’s eye aligning with a human face was central to Hungarian artist Flora Borsi’s complaint. In July 2019, she shared comparisons between her work and ‘Judgementall Hai Kya’ publicity featuring Kangana Ranaut with a cat. A related Rajkummar Rao image used a rat. Borsi’s ‘Animeyed’ series combines human and animal features, coordinating details such as hair, make-up and eye colour.

“They didn’t ask for any permission,” Borsi wrote while criticising the use of her idea. Reports said the makers had not issued a response when the allegations were published. Prakash Kovelamudi’s dark psychological comedy, starring Kangana Ranaut and Rajkummar Rao, with Amyra Dastur and Jimmy Sheirgill, released on July 26, 2019. Its publicity promised an unconventional visual world; Borsi’s objection made the authorship of that world the issue.

5. Saaho - Shilo Shiv Suleman’s Installation Became Flashpoint

The disputed ‘Saaho’ image was specifically a poster promoting ‘Baby Won’t You Tell Me’, featuring Prabhas and Shraddha Kapoor amid oversized flower-like structures. Artist Shilo Shiv Suleman alleged similarities to ‘Pulse and Bloom’, her interactive installation created for ‘Burning Man’ in 2014. In a subsequent interview, she said the production had not sought her permission and explained why retaining a say over the context of her work mattered to her.

Lisa Ray amplified the complaint, describing the alleged borrowing as “not inspiration but blatant theft”. That was Ray’s accusation, rather than an established finding. Directed by Sujeeth, Saaho released on August 30, 2019, with Prabhas, Shraddha Kapoor, Jackie Shroff and Neil Nitin Mukesh leading its action-heavy cast. Here, the dispute extended beyond whether two images looked alike: it concerned an independent artist’s creative work appearing in a major film’s promotional world.

6. Ra.One - The Superhero Rescue That Recalled Batman Begins

Shah Rukh Khan carrying Kareena Kapoor through a dramatic setting was designed to communicate superhero-scale danger and rescue. Instead, one ‘Ra.One’ poster also reminded publications of Christopher Nolan’s ‘Batman Begins’ (2005), in which Batman carries Rachel Dawes. Media coverage focused on the arrangement of the heroic figure and the woman in his arms, with the imagery becoming a recurring example in later poster-comparison features.

Directed by Anubhav Sinha, ‘Ra.One’ released on October 26, 2011, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal, alongside Armaan Verma. Its story brings video-game characters into the real world, with G.One protecting a family from the villainous Ra.One. The rescue pose was therefore perfectly relevant to its own story. The debate was about the familiarity of the promotional composition.

7. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara - A Teaser Poster Met Lords Of Dogtown

Before the road trip became a favourite, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’s teaser poster attracted a rather different kind of attention. In April 2011, Rediff compared its arrangement of three casually posed, shirtless men with the publicity for Catherine Hardwicke’s ‘Lords of Dogtown’ (2005). Its report pointed to similarities in the positioning, while noting differences in the men’s order and the accessories they held.

Zoya Akhtar’s film released on July 15, 2011, starring Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, Abhay Deol, Katrina Kaif and Kalki Koechlin, with Naseeruddin Shah also appearing. It follows three friends on a Spanish holiday before one of them marries. The comparison concerned the teaser’s visual presentation, rather than evidence that its friendship-and-travel story came from the American skateboarding film. Same number of friends, very different holiday arrangements.

8. Rowdy Rathore - Action Artwork Compared With The Replacement Killers

With Akshay Kumar presented as an armed, larger-than-life action figure, ‘Rowdy Rathore’ advertised exactly the swagger its title promised. Yet one of its action-oriented posters was repeatedly compared with ‘The Replacement Killers’ (1998), starring Chow Yun-fat and Mira Sorvino. Both The Indian Express and Bollywood Hungama included the pairing in features examining familiar-looking film publicity. This was a reported visual comparison, rather than a documented complaint from the Hollywood film’s makers.

Directed by Prabhu Deva, the film released on June 1, 2012, starring Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha, with Nassar as the principal antagonist. Akshay plays a thief and his police-officer lookalike in the Hindi remake of ‘Vikramarkudu’. That acknowledged remake connection is separate from the poster discussion: adapting a film’s story and drawing comparisons over its advertising are two different matters.

9. Dishoom - A Buddy Pairing That Reminded Viewers Of Due Date

John Abraham and Varun Dhawan’s first ‘Dishoom’ poster sold its mismatched partnership with an easy swagger – and a dog in the frame. Bollywood Hungama, writing in May 2016, compared it with the publicity for ‘Due Date’ (2010), starring Robert Downey Jr and Zach Galifianakis. The publication explicitly noted that the films had very different stories, even while questioning the resemblance between their promotional images.

Rohit Dhawan’s action-comedy released on July 29, 2016, with John Abraham, Varun Dhawan, Jacqueline Fernandez, Akshaye Khanna and Saqib Saleem in the cast. Its cops investigate the disappearance of an Indian cricketer before a crucial match. ‘Due Date’, by contrast, is a chaotic road-trip comedy. The poster comparison was about the way a contrasting male duo was packaged, not a claim that the investigations and misadventures were interchangeable.

10. Phantom - The Comparison Was With A Video Game

This is one case where identifying the reference correctly matters. Kabir Khan’s ‘Phantom’ was compared with the cover of the 2011 shooter game ‘Homefront’. The film’s first-look images showed Saif Ali Khan and Katrina Kaif bruised and blindfolded with the Indian tricolour, with Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Palace hotel behind them. A contemporary report highlighted the similarly blindfolded figure on the game’s cover.

Released on August 28, 2015, the film also features Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and Sabyasachi Chakraborty. Adapted from Hussain Zaidi’s ‘Mumbai Avengers’, it imagines a covert response to the perpetrators of the 26/11 attacks. The comparison brought gaming artwork into a debate often described too narrowly as Bollywood looking towards Hollywood.

11. Bombay Velvet - A Romantic Embrace Recalled Gone With The Wind

Its romantic poster drew comparisons with ‘Gone With the Wind’ (1939). The association was an interesting one for a film selling old-fashioned passion on an ambitious scale. In an earlier interview, Ranbir had himself described ‘Bombay Velvet’ as a classic love story in the tradition of ‘Titanic’ and ‘Gone With the Wind’. That comment concerned its romantic ambitions, rather than an explanation of the poster’s design.

Directed by Anurag Kashyap, ‘Bombay Velvet’ released on May 15, 2015, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Karan Johar, with Kay Kay Menon also featuring. Its 1960s Bombay setting follows street fighter Johnny Balraj and singer Rosie through romance, ambition and criminal intrigue. The visual comparison placed its lovers beside one of Hollywood’s most recognisable romantic pairings before audiences had seen their own story unfold.

12. Murder 3 - Red Lips, Thorns And A Familiar Horror Image

Murder 3’s teaser kept its stars out of the spotlight and concentrated on a mouth: red lips, a thorny rose stem and blood. The effect was designed to make romance look dangerous. In December 2012, Bollywood Hungama and Filmfare compared the image with promotional artwork for Jennifer’s ‘Body’ (2009). Coverage also mentioned the lips-and-fangs imagery associated with ‘True Blood’, making this a discussion about a recurring visual device rather than matching actor poses.

Directed by Vishesh Bhatt, the thriller released on February 15, 2013, starring Randeep Hooda, Aditi Rao Hydari and Sara Loren. Its story centres on a photographer, a missing girlfriend and a new relationship complicated by concealed truths. The teaser’s sinister take on love fitted that premise; the argument was whether its arresting close-up already felt too recognisable.

13. Heroine - The Reference Came From Mariah Carey’s Publicity

Kareena Kapoor’s reclining pose in Heroine’s publicity drew comparisons beyond cinema. In July 2012, reports in NDTV and The Times of India likened the image to Mariah Carey’s promotional photographs for ‘The Emancipation of Mimi’. NDTV specifically pointed to the pose and bed setting. The discussion concerned a resemblance to a music-publicity photograph, rather than another film poster.

Madhur Bhandarkar’s drama released on September 21, 2012, starring Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal and Randeep Hooda, with Divya Dutta among its supporting cast. Kareena plays Mahi Arora, an actress navigating an unstable career and difficult personal relationships. For a film examining the construction of a star’s public image, the scrutiny of its own carefully arranged glamour offered an unexpectedly appropriate promotional subplot.

14. Anjaana Anjaani - The Poster Was Withdrawn

This comparison produced a clear response from the filmmaker. Publicity showing Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra with their heads resting against one another was likened to ‘An Education’ (2009). Siddharth Anand defended the arrangement as “a classic romantic pose”, but said the team did not want suggestions of plagiarism surrounding the film. “So we’ve withdrawn that poster,” he said.

Released on October 1, 2010, Siddharth Anand’s romantic drama stars Ranbir and Priyanka, with Zayed Khan in a supporting role, and follows two distressed strangers whose encounter develops into companionship and love. Unlike cases that remained a collection of online comparisons, this one had a tangible publicity change attached to it. The director disputed the implication of copying, while still deciding that this particular first impression was not worth keeping.

15. PK - A Radio, An Accordion And A Familiar Pose

Aamir Khan’s ‘PK’ teaser poster was difficult to ignore: a bare-bodied stranger standing on railway tracks, with a radio strategically positioned in front of him. In August 2014, however, the image prompted comparisons with an older promotional photograph of Portuguese musician Quim Barreiros, who posed with an accordion covering his body. A contemporary report highlighted the resemblance. The originality debate was separate from the obscenity objections surrounding the poster, although the two controversies are often discussed together.

Directed by Rajkumar Hirani, ‘PK’ released on December 19, 2014, starring Aamir Khan, Anushka Sharma, Sanjay Dutt, Sushant Singh Rajput and Saurabh Shukla. Its story follows an alien whose search for a stolen device leads him to question human beliefs and religious authority. The poster’s bewildered outsider fitted that premise; the comparison concerned how the character’s unusual introduction had been staged.

16. BellBottom - ‘Marjaawaan’ Took A Familiar Train Ride

Akshay Kumar and Vaani Kapoor’s romantic train-door pose was intended to introduce ‘Marjaawaan’, a song from ‘BellBottom’. Instead, the promotional image sent viewers searching through travel photographs. In August 2021, Diet Sabya and social media users compared it with a picture featuring Belgian travel creators Camille Demyttenaere and Jean Hocke, associated with Backpackdiariez. Reports also noted similar photographs by other travel couples, making this a debate about a widely circulated visual setup rather than evidence of one conclusively established source.

Directed by Ranjit M. Tewari, ‘BellBottom’ released on August 19, 2021, starring Akshay Kumar, Vaani Kapoor, Lara Dutta and Huma Qureshi. Its 1980s espionage story follows an Indian intelligence operative investigating an aircraft hijacking. The image under scrutiny belonged to the song’s publicity, rather than the film’s principal theatrical poster. Even a romantic break from the spy business, it turned out, could invite an investigation.

17. Alpha - An Ensemble Poster Entered Dune Territory

The ‘Alpha’ campaign’s June 2026 ensemble poster brought its four principal stars together against a rugged, desert-like backdrop. Its sepia colouring, arrangement of faces and overall atmosphere prompted viewers to compare it with ‘Dune’ publicity. Alia Bhatt, Sharvari, Bobby Deol and Anil Kapoor appeared in the image, shared with the caption “THE ALPHA GANG!” Reports documented the online accusations, but the comparisons themselves did not establish how the design had been created.

Directed by Shiv Rawail, the film released on July 3, 2026, as part of the YRF Spy Universe. Its revenge-driven story follows a young woman whose violent mission becomes complicated by revelations about her past and identity. The poster dispute should also be distinguished from comparisons involving the teaser: this particular conversation concerned the advertising’s visual composition, not similarities between individual action scenes.

18. Raaka - Earlier AA22xA6 Campaign Drew Dune Comparisons

Before Allu Arjun and Atlee’s collaboration received the title ‘Raaka’, its publicity had already attracted scrutiny. In April 2025, Sun Pictures shared an image marking six million views for the announcement video, when the project was known as ‘AA22xA6’. Viewers compared its layout, colour palette and desert-themed aesthetic with promotional material for ‘Dune’ (2021). The distinction matters: the controversy concerned that early celebratory artwork, rather than the subsequent ‘Raaka’ title-reveal image.

Directed by Atlee and produced by Sun Pictures, the large-scale science-fiction action project stars Allu Arjun and Deepika Padukone, with Rashmika Mandanna also among its ensemble. An exact theatrical release date has not been officially announced, and detailed plot information remains limited. For an ambitious project promising an unfamiliar world, the online discussion offered an early reminder that audiences scrutinise the publicity’s originality long before they can assess the film itself.

Honourable Mentions: More Posters That Prompted A Double Take

The comparisons do not end there. A. R. Murugadoss’s ‘Ghajini’, released on December 25, 2008, starring Aamir Khan, Asin and Jiah Khan, saw its muscular Aamir imagery compared with ‘The Incredible Hulk’ publicity. Vijay Krishna Acharya’s ‘Dhoom 3’, released on December 20, 2013, with Aamir, Katrina Kaif, Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra, attracted comparisons with ‘The Dark Knight’ over a poster showing Aamir looking out through a large window. Meanwhile, promotional designs for Lokesh Kanagaraj’s ‘Leo’, released on October 19, 2023, starring Vijay, Trisha, Sanjay Dutt and Arjun Sarja, were compared online with ‘Cold Pursuit’ and the Telugu short ‘Aayudham: Weapon’. These remained reported visual comparisons – examples of audiences examining the advertising almost as closely as the films.