By The Sampadak Express
The Delhi High Court has directed acclaimed composer A.R. Rahman and the producers of the film Ponniyin Selvan 2 to deposit Rs 2 crore in connection with a copyright infringement case over the use of a classical composition, ‘Shiv Stuti’, by the Junior Dagar Brothers.
Justice Prathiba M. Singh, in an interim order dated April 25, observed that Rahman’s song Veera Raja Veera from the film bears striking resemblance to the original ‘Shiv Stuti’—noting that it is “not just inspired but is, in fact, identical” in terms of musical notes, emotional depth, and overall impact.
The court ruled that the underlying musical work in Veera Raja Veera is the same as the original composition by the late Ustad N. Faiyazuddin Dagar and Ustad Zahiruddin Dagar. It ordered the insertion of a credit slide across all OTT and online platforms acknowledging the Junior Dagar Brothers for their original work.
The lawsuit was filed by Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar, son of Faiyazuddin Dagar, who claimed ownership of the copyright to the original compositions, including ‘Shiv Stuti’. He argued that the defendants—A.R. Rahman, Madras Talkies, and Lyca Productions—had used the composition without authorization.
The court noted that some of the singers of Veera Raja Veera were in fact disciples of the plaintiff, further reinforcing the connection between the two compositions.”
The defendant’s composition infringes the complainant’s rights,” the court concluded, adding that the inclusion of other musical elements did not change the fact that the core composition remained the same. It also awarded Rs 2 lakh in legal costs to the plaintiff.
The Rs 2 crore to be deposited by the defendants will be held in a fixed deposit pending the final outcome of the case.
Rahman’s counsel argued that ‘Shiv Stuti’ is based on the traditional dhrupad genre, which lies in the public domain, and therefore cannot be copyrighted. However, the court found that a prima facie case of copyright infringement was made, and that failure to pass an interim order could cause “irreparable injury” to the legacy and rights of the original composers.
