Trimurti Films sued the makers of Dhurandhar 2 for allegedly using a song in their film without authorisation. On Thursday, the Delhi High Court referred the copyright dispute between Trimurti Films and filmmaker Aditya Dhar’s B62 Studios to mediation. The lawsuit is regarding the song Rang De Lal (Oye Oye) in the film Dhurandhar 2, which is a recreated version of the song Tirchi Topiwali from the film Tridev (1989).
Delhi HC refers Dhurandhar 2 Rang De Lal dispute to mediation
Justice Tushar Rao Gedela observed that the copyright controversy appeared to be primarily financial in nature and hence suggested that the parties could work out a resolution, including issues of royalty and compensation, through mediation. Additionally, the Court also directed that a senior mediator be appointed for the same.
Trimurti argued that such use of authorised music amounts to copyright infringement. It also claimed commercial exploitation of the song through theatrical release, its streaming on digital platforms and promotional material associated with Dhurandhar 2.
Senior Advocate Swathi Sukumar, who appeared for Trimurti, told the Court that the use of the Tirchi Topiwala music in Dhurandhar 2, including its standalone availability on digital platforms, was unauthorised. Meanwhile, Senior Advocate Akhil Sibal, appearing for Super Cassettes, which holds audio rights in Dhurandhar: The Revenge songs, opposed any grant of interim relief to Trimurti.
Sibal contended that the Trimurti had approached the Court with unclean hands, claiming that the production house had suppressed prior instances where similar songs from Tridev were used in other films.
On the other hand, Senior Advocate Ravi Prakash, appearing for B62 Films (producer of Dhurandhar 2) informed the court that the film, which has already been released in theatres in mid-March, is unlikely to be made available on OTT platforms till mid-May.
About the controversy
For the unversed, Trimurti Films sued Aditya Dhar’s production house, B62 Studios, alleging that the Rang De Lal (Oye Oye) song in Dhar`s film Dhurandhar 2 included the unauthorised use of music from the song Tirchi Topiwala.
Tirchi Topiwala is a popular song from the Sunny Deol-starrer Hindi film Tridev (1989), composed by Anand–Milind with lyrics by Anand Bakshi. The rights to the song are claimed by Trimurti Films, which has claimed that Dhurandhar 2`s makers have used the track, or a version substantially similar to it, without obtaining the necessary permissions from them.