Malayalam thriller ‘Dridam’, currently streaming on OTT, is at the center of a controversy following allegations made by former IPS officer and writer Sreelekha R. Sreelekha has alleged that the movie’s core narrative bears significant similarities to a short story she wrote years ago. She further claimed that another Malayalam film, ‘Bhoothakaalam’, was also inspired by a story she had previously narrated on her YouTube channel.
Sreelekha Raises allegations against ‘Dridam’
After watching ‘Dridam’, Sreelekha took to social media and shared a lengthy note detailing her concerns. The former IPS officer stated that the film reminded her of “Karinkudi Police Station,” a short story she wrote and published in Mathrubhumi Weekly several years ago.Expressing her views, she wrote, “I watched the film “Dridam”. Since it is a police story, and I happened to get an opportunity to watch it, I saw it quite by chance. It would not be wrong to say that the core story of this film has been taken from my short story “Karinkudi Police Station,” which I wrote several years ago and which was published in the Mathrubhumi Weekly magazine.”
Story was later shared on YouTube
Sreelekha also pointed out that the story had been made publicly available through another medium. According to her, she adapted ‘Karinkudi Police Station’ into an audio narrative and uploaded it on her YouTube channel years before ‘Dridam’ was released.She noted in her post, “I have also presented this story as an audio narration on my YouTube channel. For those who have not read the story, I have shared the link below.”The officer suggested that the story had long been accessible to audiences through both print and digital platforms.
‘Bhoothakaalam’ also mentioned
Sreelekha made another claim involving the award-winning Malayalam horror drama ‘Bhoothakaalam,’ directed by Rahul Sadasivan.Sharing her allegation, she wrote, “About five years ago (October 2021), I narrated a real-life experience story on my YouTube channel. According to me, the award-winning film “Bhoothakaalam” (released in January 2022) is a copy of that story. There is even a similarity in the titles. I had named my story “Bhootha Bhavanam” (“Haunted House”). Do take a look at that as well.”Sreelekha also highlighted an interesting connection between the two films she mentioned in her post. She pointed out that Shane Nigam plays the lead role in both ‘Dridam’ and ‘Bhoothakaalam’.Referring to this coincidence, she wrote, “There is another connection between these two films: the lead actor in both is Shane Nigam!”She further wrote, “I have liked Shane Nigam ever since I watched the film Parava. The reason is that he closely resembles a police officer who once worked with me and whom I regarded as a younger brother.”She further added, “This resemblance is especially striking in ‘Dridam’, where Shane appears in a police uniform.”Recalling the officer, she concluded, “The person I am referring to is a police officer named Muhammad, who would occasionally gift me saplings from the Koshery mango tree at his home, as well as pure honey and ghee.”As of now, the makers of Dridam have not issued a public response to the allegations. ‘Dridam,’ directed by Martin Joseph, follows a young police officer investigating a string of murders after receiving his first posting.
