‘Varaha Roopam’ Copyright Case: Kerala court prohibits use of Kantara’s song in theatres, digital platforms

New Delhi: A Kerala court has issued an interim order prohibiting the use of the song ‘Varaha Roopam’ from Rishab Shetty’s ‘Kantara’ in theatres as well as OTT and digital streaming platforms. The court has cited that prima facie it is a violation of the Copyright Act. The song is alleged to be copied from the band Thaikkudam Bridge’s ‘Navarasam’.

First Additional District Court Judge K E Salih directed to give ‘due credit’ to Thaikkudam Bridge and Mathrubhumi Printing and Publishing Company Ltd, which hold the copyright of the original track. The court noted that the music director B Ajaneesh Loknath himself admitted to taking ‘inspiration’ from Thaikkudam Bridge’s track.

Last week, Kozhikode Chief Judicial Magistrate S Sooraj directed the police to seize documents relating to the song under Section 64 of the Copyright Act 1957 and instructed the investigating officer to seize the digital audio workstation and all plates used in the making of the song. The district court also asked the investigating officer to submit a progress report of the investigation by May 4.

On February 8, the Kerala High Court also stated ‘Varaha Roopam’ to be a plagiarised version of ‘Navarasam’.

‘Varaha Roopam’ is composed by B Ajaneesh Loknath and sung by Sai Vignesh, while the lyrics are penned by Shashiraj Kavoor. ‘Kantara’ was a huge success, both at the box office and critically. The film starred director Rishab Shetty in the lead opposite Sapthami Gowda. The film revolves around a mystical tale of a deity and explores the themes of greed and belief.

Thaikkudam Bridge is a rock-fusion band based out of Kochi and was founded in 2013.