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Hindustan Times
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Delhi HC stays interim ruling against AR Rahman in copyright infringement suit
A division bench of the Delhi high court on Tuesday stayed till May 23, a single judge's verdict passing interim order against music director AR Rahman in a copyright infringement suit filed by classical singer Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar, over the song composition 'Veera Raja Veera' for Tamil movie Ponniyin Selvan 2 (PS2), asserting that the song has been in public domain since 2023. A bench of justices C Hari Shankar and Ajay Digpaul, however, directed the music director to deposit ₹2 crore with the high court's registry in compliance of single judge's order within ten days. 'Given the nature of the dispute, we list for disposal in the supplementary list at 2:30pm on May 23. As the subject matter of the copyright has been in public domain since 2023, without intending expression on the merits of the rival cases of the parties, we stay the operation of the injunction granted till the next date of hearing. Issue notice on the stay application,' the court said in the order. Also Read:'PS2 song identical to Dagar's Shiva Stuti': Delhi HC says in interim ruling against AR Rahman It added, 'As we find that the impugned order has also directed the appellant (AR Rahman) to pay a deposit of ₹2 crore, keeping in mind the law which has developed in grant of stay of money decree, we direct the appellant to deposit the amount with the registrar general of the court within ten days.' The court passed the order in a plea filed by the music director against justice Prathiba M Singh's April 25 order. In her 117-page ruling, justice Singh had ruled that Rahman's song 'Veera Raja Veera' was 'identical' to 'Shiva Stuti', a traditional Dhrupad composition by renowned Dagarvani musicians, the late Ustad Nasir Zahiruddin Dagar and Ustad Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar (popularly known as junior Dagar brothers). She had directed Rahman and the filmmakers to correct the song credits to specifically acknowledge: 'Composition based on Shiva Stuti by Late Ustad Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar and Late Ustad Nasir Zahiruddin Dagar.' Previously, credits had only mentioned the Dagarvani tradition rather than the specific artists. Justice Singh had ruled that compositions in Hindustani classical music are entitled to protection under the Copyright Act as long as they are the composer's original work. 'Every work or composition which is made in a particular genre or Raga, or style follows the basic principles of the said genre or Raga. It cannot, however, be said that due to the fact that they follow a particular discipline, there cannot be any originality in the same,' the judge concluded.
News18
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
AR Rahman Asked To Make Corrections In PS 2 Song, Delhi HC Says 'Veera Raja Veera Identical To Shiva Stuti'
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. First Published:
