'Phantom' bears no resemblance to any organisation: Makers

Comments [ 0 ] By IANS | 02 September 2015 | 3:41pm

The makers of "Phantom" have clarified that the espionage drama "bears no resemblance to any actual organisation anywhere in the world", after they received a legal threat by a medical charity MSF over wrongly using its name in the movie.

In a statement issued by the film's banners on Wednesday, the producers said: "Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment Pvt Ltd and UTV Software Communications Ltd clarify that the non-governmental organisation which is depicted under the name 'Medicine International' in the film 'Phantom' is purely fictitious and bears no resemblance to, and is not related to, any actual organisation anywhere in the world."

This comes after an aid charity Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) decided to take legal action against the film's producers, claiming that misrepresentation of the medical group can "harm its work in places where its access depends on a reputation for neutrality" and put the lives of their aid workers deployed in conflict zones at risk.

However, the producers have maintained that "no activities, working, portrayal or attributes of the said fictitious organisation should be imputed to any real organisation anywhere in the world".

"It is further clarified that any press reports, reviews, materials, promotional interviews to the contrary are inaccurate and incorrect," the statement read further.

The issue over the Saif Ali Khan and Katrina Kaif-starrer, directed by Kabir Khan, escalated last week.

According to an earlier report by bbc.com, Martin Sloot, the general director of MSF India, said that the blurring of the lines between fact and fiction could affect MSF's work and that the MSF is mulling over taking legal action to correct the misrepresentation.

"Phantom", which revolves around global terrorism, is an adaptation of the novel "Mumbai Avengers" and is based on events post-26/11 Mumbai terror attack. It released on August 28.

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