In a significant legal development, the Delhi High Court has issued an interim order against Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman and the production house Madras Talkies, directing them to pay Rs 2 crore in damages for copyright infringement. The case involves the soundtrack of the film “Ponniyin Selvan 2,” directed by acclaimed filmmaker Mani Ratnam.
The lawsuit was initiated by Ustad Fayyaz Wasifuddin Dagar, a renowned classical musician and recipient of the Padma Shri award. Dagar claimed that the song “Veera Raja Veera” from the movie is a direct copy of “Shiva Stuti,” a composition by his father Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar and uncle Zahiruddin Dagar. He filed the case seeking a permanent injunction to stop the use of the song and demanded acknowledgment of the original composers’ moral rights.
Justice Prathiba M Singh, presiding over the case, observed that “Veera Raja Veera” was not merely inspired by but directly copied from “Shiva Stuti,” with only minor lyrical modifications. The court’s decision mandates Rahman and the production house to deposit the compensation amount directly to the Registrar’s Office at the Delhi High Court.
In response to the ruling, Ustad Fayyaz Wasifuddin Dagar expressed his views on the importance of acknowledging the work of fellow artists. In a 2023 interview with Scroll, he stated, “I am a small man but my music is huge. In this city, everyone knows that we don’t run after celebrities or money. We keep a low profile. But the acknowledgement of another artist’s work is important. In our music, when we name the greats, we touch our ears. That is an acknowledgement of their knowledge, wisdom, and effort that we are freely dipping into.”
