LAHORE: The copyright dispute over Pakistan’s first AI-generated feature film, ‘Aynak Wala Jinn’, has intensified, with the director of the new film, Farhan Khan, rejecting the allegations leveled by the original series creator Hafeez Tahir as baseless.
Farhan Khan, who has directed the new animated film adaptation, has said that all rights to the popular classic drama vest with Pakistan Television (PTV).
Talking to private media, Khan termed the copyright claims made by Hafeez Tahir as false and defamatory. He said that the statements issued by the former director are his personal opinion and have no legal status.
He clarified that due to confidentiality conditions, he cannot make public the official agreement with the state-run broadcaster. However, he pointed out that PTV itself has been regularly promoting the film on its digital and satellite platforms.
“The official promotional campaign and posters of Aynak Wala Jinn carry the logo of the state-run TV. These are facts that can be verified publicly and can be seen on the official digital platforms of PTV,” Khan said.
It should be noted that earlier, the original creator of Aynak Wala Jinn, Hafeez Tahir, had accused the makers of the new film of using his creation’s name and concept without permission.
In a video statement on Instagram, Hafeez Tahir said that the film, slated for release in cinemas on July 24, was made without his knowledge or involvement.
He had termed the act a broad daylight robbery and alleged that the filmmakers had also altered the appearance and look of the original characters of the drama, especially the main character Nastoor Jinn.
It may be recalled here that the original series of Aynak Wala Jinn was broadcast on state-run television from 1993 to 1996 and is considered one of the most popular children’s programs in Pakistan’s television history, a serial so popular that children would disappear from the streets at its broadcast time.
