Bollywood designer Kapoor says Nepali duo stole his concepts

Bollywood designer Kapoor says Nepali duo stole his concepts

KATHMANDU, JUL 16 -

Bollywood fashion designer Vishal Kapoor has claimed that he was “cheated” by two persons in Kathmandu.

Organising a press conference here on Sunday, Kapoor accused Liza Chettry and Khimji Shivakoti of ‘stealing’ his concept designs for a fashion magazine ‘Panache Runway, a brand that Kapoor owns in India. A store of the same brand also runs in Durbarmarg, Kathmandu, in Kapoor’s name.

Kapoor claimed he was approached by Chettry and Siwakoti to design a fashion magazine some three months ago. After he accepted the proposal, he was invited to Nepal in May.

“I was designated the fashion editor of the magazine, but no contract was ever signed despite my repeated requests,” he said. “I started work on May 7 and put in all my efforts to have in place a design of the magazine that would go international with my brand.”

However, once the team circulated the upcoming bi-monthly magazine among corporate houses and business community with Panache’s brand, Chhetry and Siwakoti bypassed Kapoor and changed the title of the magazine to ‘N Glam’ and removed all the pictures and Kapoor’s name from the dummy circulated in the market for study, the Indian designer said. Chhetry, however, rubbished the allegations and said her upcoming magazine ‘N Glam’ has nothing to do with Vishal’s concept. “Vishal was actually never working with us,” she told the Post. “He was working on a different magazine and it hit hurdles due to his own problems. ‘N Glam’ is a completely different venture.”

She said ‘Panache Runway’ was never registered anywhere in the form of a magazine. “How can anyone charge us with duplicating something that has never been registered? Vishal’s magazine never came out, and that was his own problem. We are coming out in the market with ‘N Glam’ very soon.”  

Kapoor, however, said he tried to talk to the two Nepalis and see if there had been a misunderstanding. “However, they just said they did not want to work with me anymore.”

According to him, he filed a complaint against the two at the Labour Office and the District Administration Office and that a ‘case’ is underway in both these places.

Reacting to an interview Kapoor posted on an online news portal in Kathmandu, Chhetry lodged a complaint with the Metropolitan Police Crime Investigation Division (MPCID), accusing Kapoor of defaming her. However, as police came to a conclusion that Kapoor’s concepts were genuine and that they were ‘plagiarised’ by Chhetry and Siwakoti, they dismissed Chettry’s claims. Police said they have not investigated the case further as Kapoor has not lodged a complaint yet.