AR Rahman Asked To Make Corrections In PS 2 Song, Delhi HC Says 'Veera Raja Veera Identical To Shiva Stuti'

News18

26-04-2025

Justice Singh directed AR Rahman and Madras Talkies to correct song credits in Ponniyin Selvan 2 for Veera Raja Veera.
The Delhi High Court has now said that the song, Veera Raja Veera, from Ponniyin Selvan 2, composed by AR Rahman, is very similar to Shiva Stuti, a traditional piece created by Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar's father and uncle. The court gave this opinion in an interim order after Dagar, a respected classical singer, filed a case saying his family's work was copied. While there are a few changes in the film version, the court felt the two songs were close enough to take the matter further.
Justice Prathiba M Singh of the Delhi High Court has asked AR Rahman and the film's production house, Madras Talkies, to update the song credits for Veera Raja Veera now. The court said the credits should clearly name the original creators, Ustad Nasir Zahiruddin and Ustad Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar, rather than just referring to the broader Dagarvani tradition. This correction is meant to give proper recognition to the junior Dagar brothers for their composition Shiva Stuti, which the court found closely linked to the film song.
The court also ordered AR Rahman and Madras Talkies to deposit Rs 2 crore with the court registry, along with Rs 2 lakh to be paid to the Dagar family to cover legal costs.
'This court holds that the impugned song is not merely based or inspired from the song composition of Shiva Stuti but is exact identical to the song composition with mere changes," justice Singh said while pronouncing the verdict.
The court pointed out that AR Rahman and Madras Talkies had not credited the Dagar brothers at first. It also noted that when Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar reached out to them, they did give credit but only reluctantly.
'In place of the existing slide, a new slide will be made on all OTTs and online platforms in respect of the impugned song affecting the credits," the high court said. The new one would say, 'composition based on Shiva Stuti by late Ustad N Faiyazuddin Dagar and late Ustad Zahiruddin Dagar," the court said.
A full copy of the judgement will be made available soon.
Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar, a Padma Shri recipient, filed the suit claiming that AR Rahman's Veera Raja Veera was heavily inspired by Shiva Stuti, a composition by Dagar's father Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar and uncle Zahiruddin Dagar. According to the lawsuit, despite having different lyrics, the song's melody, rhythm, and overall beat closely mirrored the original Shiva Stuti, and the Dagar family's contribution was not properly acknowledged.
In her ruling, Justice Prathiba M. Singh affirmed that Hindustani classical music is protected under the Copyright Act as long as it is an original work of the composer. She stated that as long as a composition is the composer's own creation, it deserves full copyright protection, and the composer has the right to control and protect their work.
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