The court imposed a fine on filmmaker Antony Perumbavoor for using a woman’s photo in a movie without permission, causing defamation. The Chalakkudy Munsiff Court ordered Antony Perumbavoor to pay ₹1,68,000 as compensation. The complainant, Princy Francis is a resident of Kadukutty, Chalakkudy, and has raised a complaint regarding the unauthorized use of her photo in the film Oppam.
In 2016, the film Oppam, directed by Priyadarshan and produced by Antony Perumbavoor, was released, starring Mohanlal in the lead role. Princy Francis’s photo was used in the 29th minute of the film, where it appeared as the image of a young woman brutally murdered while the police were flipping through a crime file. The photo was downloaded from a blog and used without permission, causing emotional distress. Princy had filed a complaint with the Koratti Police, but no action was taken.
Subsequently, in 2017, Princy filed a case in Chalakkudy court through Advocate P. Narayanankutty. Besides Antony Perumbavoor and Priyadarshan, the assistant director Mohandas was also included as a party to the case. The defendants argued that the photo was not of a teacher. Even after the filmmakers were asked to remove the scene from the film, they refused. The scene has not been removed to this day. After eight years of legal battle, Princy Francis stated that justice was finally served and that her legal fight was for the sake of ordinary women.
