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" Barfi! director Anurag Basu has claimed that non-Indian filmmakers are not accused of plagiarism. Basu has faced criticism since the romantic comedy was selected to represent India at the Academy Awards. Basu told Mumbai Mirror: &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s very difficult to make original cinema and I take a lot of pride in saying Barfi! is original. &amp;quot;It baffles me why people are not appreciating the original plot, screenplay, characters and situations. The other films that are contenders for the Oscars are really good films.  &amp;quot;I am very privileged to be in that group. I paid homage to the films and filmmakers that I grew up watching. Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino have done the same. Does that make them thieves? &amp;quot;Great moments of cinema that you&amp;#039;ve watched through the years, stay with you and come out in your work.  &amp;quot;It doesn&amp;#039;t mean you&amp;#039;re copying anyone. Thank God The Artist was not made by an Indian. If it had been, it would have never been nominated for the Oscar, let alone winning the award.&amp;quot; The filmmaker revealed early on that Barfi! had been inspired by silent era stars such as Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. He has also said that his film is the best choice for the Oscars&amp;#039; foreign film category. Watch a trailer for Barfi! below:      "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/bollywood/news/a409011/anurag-basu-defends-original-barfi-it-pays-homage/>