Is Ajith Kumar’s Vidaamuyarchi copy of Breakdown? Filmmakers to face copyright issues with Paramount Picture?

Ajith Kumar's highly anticipated film Vidaamuyarchi is expected to hit cinemas on Pongal 2025. A teaser for the film was published a few days ago. Soon later, a debate over the film sparked a lot of attention.

According to rumours, Vidaamuyarchi is an unauthorised remake of the Hollywood cult classic action film Breakdown, starring Kurt Russell, for which the filmmakers did not get rights. As a result, Paramount Pictures plans to sue Lyca Productions for Rs 150 crore. The film's producers have since said they did not get such a legal warning.

During an interview with Zoom, Lyca, the film's producers, denied receiving any copyright infringement complaints. According to a source close to the production firm, the rumours are false. The portal reported the insider as saying, “How can a production company sue another production company for Rs 150 crore? This is completely baseless! Lyca has been in the industry for so long, so they know how intellectual property rights work. Moreover, (laughs) Rs 150 crore is a huge amount to pay for a remake; nobody pays that kind of money, so surely the rumour mongers have no idea as to how the movie-making business works."

When questioned how these suspicions propagated, the insider indicated that the imagery of Vidaamuyarchi's trailer resembled some elements of Breakdown, which was entirely coincidental. Social media users believed this was a remake and caused a commotion because it starred Ajith.

Meanwhile, Trisha Krishnan will play the female protagonist with Ajith Kumar in this highly anticipated film, highlighting their strong on-screen chemistry. The film also boasts a brilliant ensemble cast, including Aarav, Regina Cassandra, and Nikhil, who are likely to boost its overall appeal.

Vidaamuyarchi is directed by Magizh Thirumeni and produced by Lyca Productions, a well-known Tamil production company. The ever-popular Anirudh Ravichander composed the soundtrack, while Omprakash oversaw the cinematography and NB Srikanth handled the editing. Vidaamuyarchi, with its star-studded cast and compelling story, is expected to be one of the most anticipated Tamil films of the year.