The Delhi High Court on Wednesday ruled in favour of composer AR Rahman in the copyright battle surrounding 'Veera Raja Veera' from Ponniyin Selvan 2.
A Division Bench comprising Justices C Hari Shankar and Om Prakash Shukla delivered the verdict while hearing Rahman’s appeal against an April 25 single-judge order. “We have allowed the appeal. We have authored concurrent opinions. We have set aside the impugned order by the single judge on principle,” the court stated.
A copyright infringement case was filed by Indian classical singer and Padma Shri awardee Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar in 2023, alleging that ‘Veera Raja Veera’s’ composition was lifted from the ‘Shiva Stuti’ song composed by his father, Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar, and uncle, Zahiruddin Dagar. He requested for the defendants, Rahman and Madras Talkies, to be ordered a permanent injunction restraining them from using the song, while also seeking damages from them and an acknowledgement of moral rights.
Earlier, Rahman and Madras Talkies were also directed by the High Court to credit the Junior Dagar brothers for the song composition by adding it to the film on streaming platforms. The defendants were also fined ₹2 lakh.
streaming platforms. The defendants were also fined ₹2 lakh.
A plagiarism dispute arose over AR Rahman's ‘Veera Raja Veera’, with Faiyaz alleging similarities to the Junior Dagar Brothers' ‘Shiva Stuti’. Rahman countered that ‘Shiva Stuti’ is a traditional Dhrupad composition in the public domain, while ‘Veera Raja Veera’ is an original work blending Western musical elements with 227 distinct layers.
Helmed by Mani Ratnam, Ponniyin Selvan 2 is the second part of the director's two-part film. It is based on the 1954 novel Ponniyin Selvan by Kalki Krishnamurthy. AR Rahman composed seven songs for the Ponniyin Selvan 2 album. The film featured an ensemble cast, featuring Vikram, Aishwarya Rai, Ravi Mohan, Trisha, Jayaram, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sobitha Dhulipala, Sarath Kumar, and more.
