'Teri Meri Kahani' is not a copy: Kunal Kohli

Mumbai: The storyline of Shahid Kapoor-Priyanka Chopra starrer upcoming film 'Teri Meri Kahani' seemed to be very much on the lines of Taiwanese film 'Three Times'. But director Kunal Kohli insists there are no similarities between the two and that its just a coincidence.

Both Shahid and Priyanka are seen in three different avatars over three time spans -1910, 1960 and 2012 - in the film, akin to 'Three Times' which features three separate love stories chronologically set in 1911, 1966 and 2005, with the same lead actors, Shu Qi and Chang Chen. The 2005 film was a hit and won several awards.

However, Kohli says his film is different. "I have not seen the film ('Three Times') to begin with

$\'Teri Meri Kahani\' is not a copy: Kunal Kohli$

Priyanka Chopra

but someone told me about it while I was making the film and I happened to read about it. But I would still say our film is completely different. It is just a coincidence," he told reporters here last evening, after unveiling the first look.

"There is no similarity between the two films. Now-a-days if you want to remake a film, you just buy the rights and make the film. So if I wanted to make 'Three Times' I would have bought the rights..so it is definitely not like that," he said.

Citing an example, Kohli, said, "Like when I made 'Hum Tum' there was a film called 'Before Sunset' that came six months after, and it had the exact opening like my film where the guy has lost his love and he has released a book and the film starts with the press conference and he talks about the love he has lost and that is how exactly 'Before Sunset' also started."

As for the first look trailer, there were few sections which in a way seemed similar to Shahid's last film, 'Mausam', where the hero happens to meet the leading lady, Sonam Kapoor in three different situations. But Kohli says that every love story in a way has the basic element of love, meeting and parting ways.

"To meet and part ways is there in every love story, be it 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge', 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai', 'Fanna', 'Hum Tum' or 'Veer Zaara'. Whatever popular love story you take..a love story is all about meeting and parting. But how they meet, how they part ways is different in every love story and even in this story, it is different," he said. The film is up for release on June 22.