Days after journalist and author Jeyarani, made plagiarism accusations against Shalini Vijayakumar, the director of the short film Seeing Red, which was selected under the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) Select: Filmed on iPhone initiative this year, the filmmaker responded by stating that her film is "entirely original" and that she stands by the process and authenticity of her story.

In an interview with CNN-News18, Shalini Vijayakumar said, "I wish to state clearly and respectfully that my film Seeing Red is an entirely original work. Any resemblance to other stories is purely coincidental. While I acknowledge that appropriation and story theft are real concerns in the creative industry, and I take them seriously, in this case, I stand by the integrity of my process and the authenticity of the story."

In an Instagram post a few days go, Jayarani accused Shalini of using one of the stories, titled Sevvarali Poocharam, from her book Sennilam for Seeing Red without her consent and "without due recognition or royalties." She alleged that "every inch of it has been stolen, down to the title (Sevvarali Poocharam - Red Oleander Flower string), the period and the genre." She added that the story "has been distorted and appropriated through a Brahminical lens."

She then added that her story "about the cultural oppression suffered by women from marginalised communities under the guise of rituals" was distorted into the story of a Brahmin household, where the ghost is a grotesque Madisar-clad Brahmin woman.

Jayarani also pointed out that noted director Vetrimaaran, who has mentored Shalini, did not respond to the allegations or read the story. "When I contacted him about this, he said he would read the story but even after a week, he claims he hasn't read it. It's possible he didn't know the story was stolen," she wrote.

You can read her full Instagram post here:

Jayarani further demanded a public apology and removal of the short film from all public platforms and MAMI to revoke its selection of the film. "I will take all legal steps necessary to address this," she said.

Responding to this, Shalini noted that she will respond to the legal action through appropriate legal channels if Jayarani pursues a case. "I continue to stand firmly by my position that Seeing Red is a wholly original work, not inspired by or plagiarised from any existing work of fiction," she added.

Seeing Red is currently available to watch for free on YouTube.