On Monday, we had reported about Hanuman Ansh director Vishal Chaturvedi announcing his next film in association with Mahaveer Jains, titled RamBola. Interestingly, hours later, eminent filmmaker Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi announced a film with same title, and on the same subject. 

Taking to his Instagram page, Chandraprakash shared a concept poster of the film, along with the caption, “Rambola — He didn’t have weapons, but words… and they became the mighty arrow themselves. He gave India a weapon that no empire could defeat!” His film is being co-produced by Madhu Mantena and Mandira Dwivedi. More details about the film, including the primary cast and crew are yet to be announced. 

What makes the clash interesting is that both films have the exact title. Usually, titled are registered with associations like the Indian Film and Television Producers Council (IFTPC), the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA), and the Western India Film Producers’ Association (WIFPA) ensure that no duplication happens and no two producers can claim ownership of the same title. However, title registration with these associations does not provide any legal protection or exclusivity.

It remains to be seen whether both films will continue to have the same title, or will one of them go for a title change to avoid confusion and legal dispute. 

Both the films would be based on the life of Goswami Tulsidas, revered saint and poet from the 16th century best known for authoring Hanuman Chalisa and the epic Ramcharitmanas, a retelling of the Sanskrit Ramayana based on Rama's life, in the vernacular Awadhi language. He also pioneered the tradition of Ramlila plays, a folk-theatre adaptation of the Ramayana, which is carried out on the occasion Dussehra till date. 

Chandraprakash Dwivedi is known for films like Pinjar (2003) and Samrat Prithviraj (2022), and his 80s TV show Chanakya which received a lot of acclaim.