The Courts Have So Far Sided with Thaikkudam Bridge As They Take on Kannada Film ‘Kantara’ in Plagiarism Row
The Kerala band has filed an injunction against the streaming and broadcast of the song “Varaha Roopam,” which Kannada composer Ajaneesh Loknath said was “inspired” by the 2015 track
Kerala fusion band Thaikkudam Bridge. Photo: Courtesy of the artist
With the release of Kannada film Kantara on September 30th and its subsequent streaming release by mid-October, fans heard the rousing song “Varaha Roopam” and brought it to the notice of Kerala fusion act Thaikkudam Bridge, noting similarities between the structure, tonality and other sonic elements of the band’s 2015 song “Navarasam” and this new Kannada film song.
The band and their management reportedly spoke to the Kantara crew – director Rishab Shetty and more importantly, “Varaha Roopam” composer Ajaneesh Loknath – and clearly they weren’t satisfied with the explanations they received. On October 24th, Thaikkudam Bridge took to social media and accused the makers of “Varaha Roopam” of plagiarizing “Navarasam.”
They said in an Instagram post, “From our and our partners standpoint, 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. There has been no acknowledgment of our rights over the content and the song is propagated as an original piece of work by the movie’s creative team.”
Thaikkudam Bridge sought an injunction and on October 28th, the Kozhikode District court passed an injunction order against Kantara based on a suit filed by the band. “The band moved the suit contending that its moral rights as the author of the song have been infringed by the unauthorized use in the movie,” LiveLaw notes. On November 2nd, the Palakkad District Court also passed an ad-interim injunction order based on a copyright infringement suit filed by the band’s company, Mathrubhumi (who released Navarasam and its title song).
Both injunctions now prevent streaming platforms and the filmmakers from publicly exhibiting, streaming and distributing Kantara with “Varaha Roopam” until further orders. It’s being hailed as a win for an independent band who are taking on a big film production company. After all, Kantara has grossed over ₹305 crores, making it one of the most successful Kannada films of all time in terms of box office numbers.
At the same time, Thaikkudam Bridge continue to face the heat for stealing the thunder away from a song that was arguably a runaway hit from a powerful movie. “Varaha Roopam” has amassed over 25 million views on YouTube, with a big marketing push on its side. “Navarasam,” since the music video released in 2017, has gained about 6.5 million views on YouTube. Critics – including veteran South Indian singer Srinivas – took to social media to admonish Thaikkudam Bridge for “taking another fellow musician to court.”
Others pointed out that Thaikkudam Bridge too has adapted and rendered several traditional and Carnatic songs, but that can be argued down to the importance of understanding copyright at its simplest level – “Navarasam” is an original work and if “Varaha Roopam” does in fact take elements from the song without providing any credits or sharing royalties, then it’s infringement all right.
Loknath has, in previous media interactions running around the release of Kantara, addressed the similarities, but this was much before any plagiarism charge was thrown the film’s way. Loknath admitted there was an inspiration from Thaikkudam Bridge, but that “Varaha Roopam” was an original composition which happens to be rendered in the same raagas. Director Rishab Shetty also reportedly denied allegations of any infringement.
“Varaha Roopam” singer Sai Vignesh told The News Minute, “I had not listened to ‘Navarasam’ before we recorded the track. In my opinion, the mood of both the tracks are different […] ‘Varaha Roopam’ is not based on the same set of Ragas as ‘Navarasam’.”
Everyone from lay listeners to musicians and vocalists and now, the courts, have had something to say about whether “Varaha Roopam” has plagiarized “Navarasam” and there might just be a few more chapters added to the controversy. Until then, tune in below and hear for yourself.
