麻辣教授的爭議

麻辣教授》是洛克希·卡納賈拉吉編導的2021年印度泰米爾語電影,上映前後伴隨著諸多爭議。首先是因主演維傑住所的遭印度所得稅部英語Income Tax Department(ITD)突襲搜查,以及印度人民黨的抗議而導致拍攝中斷[1][2]。電影因COVID-19封鎖而延期上映,維傑親自拜託泰米爾納德邦首席部長埃達帕迪·K·帕拉尼斯瓦米英語Edappadi K. Palaniswami後,該邦政府允許本片及即將上映的其他泰米爾電影開放100%的戲院座席[3];遭到醫生和社會活動人士的強烈反對後,中央政府決定不讓劇院滿員,這項舉措立即被撤銷,將開放座席縮減至50%[4]。後來,電影的少數片段在上映前被匿名人士盜版。院線上映後不久,電影在院線上映16天後(2021年1月29日)在串流媒體平台Amazon Prime Video上線[5],招來戲院業主及放映商的批評[6]

印度所得稅部的突擊搜查

2020年2月5日,印度所得稅部英語Income Tax Department(ITD)突襲搜查了主演維傑的住所,並詢問了他對不動產的投資是否存在逃稅行為。維傑先前從製片公司AGS娛樂英語AGS Entertainment繼承了不動產的投資,該公司也投資了他主演的《球神比吉爾英語Bigil》(2019年)。[7][8]維傑在內伊韋利忙著拍片時遭到調查[9],因而擾亂了《麻辣教授》的拍攝工作[10][11]。ITD官員從製片人安布·塞哈揚(Anbu Cheliyan)的住所沒收了近7.7億盧比,這也屬於AGS娛樂的財產[12][13]。2020年3月,因《麻辣教授》的預映業務,ITD再次遭到突襲了聯合製片人兼發行人拉利特·庫馬爾(Lalit Kumar)的住所及其製作公司七幕製片室的辦公室[14];庫馬爾從22億盧比的利潤中分得了5億盧比的份額,所以被ITD盯上[a][17]。2020年3月13日[18],ITD表示,搜查結果出爐,突襲期間查無不法,維傑已繳納所有稅款[19][20]。ITD進一步公佈了逃稅調查的數據,顯示維傑因《球神比吉爾》收到了5億盧比,從《麻辣教授》收到了8億盧比[21][22]。國會議員達亞尼迪·馬蘭英語Dayanidhi Maran指責,因維傑曾批評執政的印度人民黨(BJP),該政黨便透過ITD突襲從政治上針對維傑[23][24]

印度人民黨的抗議

2020年2月7日,印度人民黨成員在內維利褐煤公司英語NLC India Limited(NLC)前舉行抗議,此地被劇組選為最終場面的拍攝地[25]。黨員抗議NLC批准拍攝[26]。雖然劇組已獲得許可,但人民黨成員聲稱此地是高度安全的地區,不是拍攝電影的地方,更威脅說,如果拍攝不停止,抗議將繼續下去[27][28]。不久後,維傑的粉絲紛紛聲援他,並對該政黨的工作人員提出抗議。抗議者和粉絲在警方介入後離開現場。[29]

泰米爾納德邦的戲院座位措施

印度正值COVID-19確診數攀升時期,導致戲院的座位被限制。維傑親自拜託泰米爾納德邦首席部長埃達帕迪·K·帕拉尼斯瓦米英語Edappadi K. Palaniswami後,泰米爾納德邦政府英語Government of Tamil Nadu允許戲院開放100%的座位,令片方上映本片以及即將上映的其他泰米爾電影[30]。此後不久,印度中央政府針對泰米爾納德邦政府批准電影100%座席上映的決定發出了反對令[31][32],稱這明顯違反了內政部長英語Minister of Home Affairs (India)只允許戲院50%座位佔用率的指導方針[33][34]。許多醫生和社會活動人士也抗議電影完全開放座位的措施[35][36]。不久後,泰米爾納德邦戲院的座位數被撤銷到50%,中央政府才放行營業[37][38]

在出現入座問題之前,維傑曾被放映商要求降低其電影片酬,以降低電影的預算,也能為發行商帶來利潤[39]。最終,發行商計劃在泰米爾納德邦單獨上映《麻辣教授》,以盡可能地吸引觀眾看電影[40]。泰米爾納德邦戲院業主協會主席蒂魯布爾·薩布拉曼尼安(Tiruppur Subramanian)聲稱,如果電影上座率達到50%,戲院可能會優先放映本片[41]。電影上映後[42][43]金奈超過十家戲院因允許開放100%座位而違反了COVID-19安全預防措施,而遭開罰[44][45]

網路盜版

2021年1月12日,即上映前一天,據報導部分片段被少數匿名人士在社群媒體上洩露,引發了葉界的爭議[46][47]洛克希·卡納賈拉吉和主演馬拉維卡·莫漢南公開呼籲觀眾不要與他人分享片段,並堅決要求他們到保持相關安全預防措施的影院看電影[48][49]。多名來自南印度電影界的導演、製片人和演員在此問題上支持洛克希[50][51]推特後來協助製片方找出洩露者,結果發現,一家數位公司負責將電影的副本出售給海外發行權,但一名員工涉嫌竊取了副本並洩露至網上[52]

串流媒體發行

《麻辣教授》的製片方與Amazon Prime Video合作,於2021年1月29日首映本片,即院線上映的16天後,成為最快登上串流媒體服務的泰米爾電影,這對印度電影來說尚屬首次[53][54]。製片人S·澤維爾·布里托(S. Xavier Britto)雖然聲稱本片沒有在主要海外市場上映,是提前數位發行的原因[55],但戲院業主對此提出了反對,認為盜版網站會上傳電影的高畫質檔案,導致觀眾進場意願降低而影響票房[56][57]。戲院業主要求推遲數位首映,但片方仍遵循原有的計畫[58];戲院業主更要求獲得10%的戲院放映分成[59]。本片登上串流媒體後,戲院業主隨後宣布,任何電影在影院發行後三十天內不得在串流媒體服務中首映[60][61]。雖然《麻辣教授》很快上線串流媒體,但影院業主仍根據粉絲的需求繼續放映電影[62][63],另一方面在於《麻辣教授》後上映的電影內容不佳且缺乏有力的宣傳,故延長本片的院線放映[64][65]

其他相關事件

本片在波奧納馬萊埃的一所視力障礙兒童學校進行了三天的拍攝,但這引起了對該地點工作人員的不同反應[66]。學校協調員薩拉瓦納·潘迪安(Saravana Pandian)據報導得知,維傑會見視障學生並與之互動,但他並未如期實現,而對此感到不高興[66]。最後,他也批評了少數劇組成員無視學生的存在,在校舍內吸煙[66]

2021年1月,埃格莫爾英語Egmore都市首席法官英語Chief magistrate指示印度刑事調查部英語Criminal Investigation Department (India)對S·澤維爾·布里托提起有關侵犯版權的初步調查報告英語First information report[67]。該法院命令來自音樂版權公司——諾維斯通訊私人有限公司(Novex Communications Private Limited)提起的訴訟[68]。據請願方稱,2020年3月15日舉行的電影音樂發表會上播放了電影中的幾首歌曲,卻沒有從該公司的客戶之一Think Music英語Think Music獲得任何版權[69][70]。另一項起訴由A·朗達斯(K. Rangadas)提出,理由是抄襲指控,並表示該影片的故事情節是改編自他在2017年向南印度電影作家協會(South Indian Film Writers Association)註冊的一部作品[71]

備註

  1. ^ 此筆交易是在COVID-19封鎖之前所敲定[15],在電影推遲至2021年1月13日之後,該交易後來修改為15.83億盧比[16]

參考資料

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  69. ^ Chennai Court directs CB-CID to register case for copyright infringement over music played in 'Master' event. The Hindu. 2021-01-12 [2021-01-13]. (原始內容存檔於2021-01-12). 
  70. ^ Master: FIR filed against Xavier Britto as songs played during audio launch were from other movies of Vijay. Pinkvilla. 2021-01-12 [2021-08-19]. (原始內容存檔於2021-06-21). 
  71. ^ Vijay's Master runs into plagiarism trouble. The Times of India. 2021-01-08 [2021-08-19]. (原始內容存檔於2021-08-20).