Just when the news broke that Amit Masurkar’s Newton starring Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi and others was India’s official entry for the Oscars 2018, the internet was abuzz with happiness. Since the news came on the day of its release, the news was a trigger good enough to make more and more people go witness the dark-satirical comedy.
While the critics are lauding for Rajkumamar’s acting chops and the film’s subject, a news comes flying around that the film seems to be “inspired” by an Iranian film, Babak Payami’s Secret Ballot starring Nassim Abdi, and bears a lot of similarities.
The film has uncanny resemblances in the plot, which revolves around an honest polling officer and the voting day in a remote place. The character traits are similar too, as they are both honest polling agents who want to garner votes; the difference being the protagonist in Newton is male and in Secret Ballot (released in 2001) is female.
NDTV spoke to the film’s director, Amit Masurkar, about it and he said that they are two very different films and Newton is neither inspired nor a remake of the Iranian film.
Those who have seen Secret Ballot and Newton both will recall certain scenes and instances are similar. Like, how the charge of security is least interested in carrying out the polling duties and isn’t willing to help. Some say that even the setting up of the polling booth is quite similar involving charts and plans, which involved a ruined building. Also, the way the two hold the voting machines close to the heart are similar too.
Well, how much will this affect the film’s footfall in theatres and whether or not it will make it to Oscars 2018, only time will tell. But, it opens the stage for age-old discussion of Bollywood’s knack for recycling-content-under-the-name-of-inspiration.