New Delhi: The Delhi High Court, in its interim order, has directed Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman and production house Madras Talkies to submit the raw recording of the song, Veera Raja Veera, and deposit Rs 2 crore with the court registry. Rahman and the production house face allegations of copyright infringement by Dhrupad maestro and Padma Shri Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar.
The song appeared in the 2023 film, Ponniyin Selvan: II, produced by Mani Ratnam’s Madras Talkies.
The case, filed in 2023, alleged that the composition of Veera Raja Veera was copied from Shiva Stuti, originally composed by Dagar’s father Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar and uncle Zahiruddin Dagar.
The directive, aiming to scrutinise the originality of the composition, is crucial to the ongoing case.
Dagar had sought a permanent injunction restraining the defendants from using the song. He also sought damages amounting to Rs 2 crore.
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‘Identical, not inspired’
The order, pronounced today by Justice Pratibha M Singh, stated that the song Veera Raja Veera is not merely based on or inspired by the composition Shiva Stuti, but is in fact “identical to it with certain changes”.
The court directed the producers of Ponniyin Selvan: II to add credits for the Dagar brothers to the film across online platforms.
A cost of Rs 2 lakh was additionally imposed on the defendants.
During the hearing, Justice Singh listened to both the original Shiva Stuti and Veera Raja Veera, noting similarities in their beat and structure. The court further instructed Rahman’s legal team to respond to the musical notations submitted by the plaintiff. It also ordered a correction of the misattribution of the song’s tradition from “Dargavani” to “Dagarvani” on YouTube within 48 hours.
Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar alleged that Rahman had “lifted” the composition from his family’s legacy. He claimed the melody was nearly identical to a traditional Dhrupad that his father and uncle had composed—though it had never been copyrighted.
ThePrint was the first to report on the case in 2023.
“He took the entire composition, and used it as he pleased. Just used it (Pura composition hi le liya? Kisi bhi tarah istemaal, bas istemaal),” Dagar said at the time.
Dagar alleges that while Veera Raja Veera has different lyrics, its taal, beat, and musical structure are identical to Shiva Stuti, which was performed globally by the Junior Dagar Brothers and featured on albums released by PAN Records.
Rahman has denied all allegations, and lawyers for Madras Talkies have rejected the plagiarism claim, stating that Veera Raja Veera was based on a composition by Narayana Panditacharya from the 13th century. They also accused Dagar of seeking monetary gain.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)