Rajiv Rai On ‘Tu Cheez Badi Hai…’ Use In Adivi Sesh’s Dacoit Teaser: 'They Have Paid Me For It'

Rajiv Rai is someone who never lets the illegal use of any of his songs pass. The veteran filmmaker has even dragged production houses like Dharma to court, alleging that they infringed his banner Trimurti Films’ copyright over the song ‘Saat Samundar Paar’ from Vishwatma (1992) in the upcoming film Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri. So when Dacoit: Ek Prem Katha teaser was launched and it featured Akshay Kumar and Raveena Tandon’s ‘Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast’ from Mohra, Rajiv was questioned if the Dacoit team had secured permission from him or not.

When asked about the use of ‘Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast’ in Dacoit: Ek Prem Katha’s teaser, he told Bollywood Hungama, “It’s legitimate. There’s no breach of contract. I have given them the permission.

They have paid me for it as well. They were negotiating with my legal team for the last 2-3 months. So, the whole process was very clear and clean. There’s no issue there. People may think that there’s an issue as I always take objection! However, I take objection when they do it without consent.”

“However, the makers of Dacoit were very good to me. I also got a call from Annapurna Studios; Supriya Yarlagadda, Nagarjuna’s niece, spoke to me. They are very well-behaved people. They went about it in a proper way,” Rai continued.

Rajiv has given permission to Aryan Khan to use the song ‘Duniya Haseeno Ka Mela’ from Gupt in his debut series, The Ba**ds of Bollywood*. In September 2025, speaking about the same, Rai shared, “Shah Rukh Khan told me, ‘It’s my son’s first show’. He was very polite and respectful. He’s a gentleman; how can you say ‘No’ to him? Also, it was for his son. I didn’t blink an eyelid. I told him, ‘Take whatever you want’! I don’t say that to anyone. I am not an easy guy to deal with (laughs)!”

Dacoit is scheduled to hit theatres on March 19, setting the stage for a major box office showdown with big-ticket releases like Toxic and Dhurandhar 2. Despite the competition, the film’s layered premise, intense emotional undercurrent, and action-heavy treatment have already sparked strong curiosity among audiences.