Earlier, the makers of the Kannada blockbuster Kantara had been accused of copyright violation by Kerala-based music band Thaikkudam Bridge. Now, the court has directed the makers of Kantara, to stop playing the Varaha Roopam song in theatres.
Ban on Varaha Roopam song?
A Kerala court has passed an injunction against the makers of Kantara and several music streaming platforms from playing the song Varaha Roopam from the film, after popular Kerala-based band Thaikkudam Bridge filed a copyright violation suit. The band has alleged that there are “unavoidable similarities” between Kantara’s Varaha Roopam, and the band’s own song Navarasam released in 2015.
The band’s official Instagram page shared an update that read, “The Principal District and Sessions Judge, Kozhikode has injuncted the producer, director, music composer, Amazon, YouTube, Spotify, Wynk Music, Jiosavan, and others from playing the song Varaha Roopam in the film Kantara without the permission of Thaikudam Bridge”.
The suit for injunction was filed on the band’s behalf by Music Attorney Satish Murthi, a Supreme Court of India advocate, the Instagram post added. The makers of Kantara will now have to move the court for a stay order for relief.
Navarasam
Navarasam, a classic rock music, was a tribute to Kerala’s popular art form Kathakali and spoke about its commercialization. Varaha Roopam in Kantara depicts the beliefs and worship of Bhoota Aradhane in Dakshina Kannada. Pointing out that the similarities between the two songs are an egregious infringement of copyright laws, the band had earlier said, “We would like our listeners to know that Thaikkudam Bridge is in no way or form affiliated with “Kantara”. The unavoidable similarities between our IP “Navarasam” and “Varaha Roopam” in terms of audio is, therefore, a blatant infringement of copyright laws.”
“From our standpoint, the line between “Inspired” and “Plagiarized” is distinct and indisputable and therefore we will be seeking legal action against the creative team responsible for this,” the band had said in a social media post on Monday, October 24. Kantara, which was first released in Kannada on September 30, has seen huge commercial success across states. It was later dubbed and released in other languages including Telugu and Hindi.
As for the makers of Kantara, they claimed that the songs are similar owing to the same raga, however, Thaikkudam Bridge refused to accept this clarification.
