What is the story about?
Renowned Music composer AR Rahman seems to have come on a mutual ground with respect to the Ponniyin Selvan II song Veera Raja Veera. On Friday, AR Rahman told
the Supreme Court that he would formally acknowledge the contribution of the Junior Dagar Brothers in the song from the Tamil film. The court directed that the revised credits be updated across social media platforms and OTT services within five weeks, and the Dagar brothers’ work in the song should be given a proper recognition. Notably, the larger copyright case is still under the court.
AR Rahman agrees to credit Junior Dagar brothers in PS II song copyright case
The development comes amid an ongoing copyright suit filed by Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar, a successor of the Junior Dagar Brothers. As per reports in Live and Law, the Dil Se singer and the film’s producers have agreed to add a line in the credits stating, “Composition inspired from the Dagarwani tradition Dhrupad, first recorded as Shiv Stuti by late Ustad Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar and Ustad Nasir Zahiruddin Dagar, popularly known as Junior Dagar Brothers.”
Abhishek Manu Singhvi also flagged media reports from the earlier hearing that claimed AR Rahman had faced a setback in court. The bench said it cannot regulate how proceedings are reported and made it clear that the pending suit will be decided on its own merits, without being influenced by any observations made during the hearings.
After these clarifications, the Supreme Court closed the petition filed by Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar challenging a Delhi High Court division bench order that had earlier overturned a single-judge injunction against Rahman and the other defendants.
AR Rahman Vs Junior Dagar Brothers
The dispute started with allegations that Veera Raja Veera borrows key elements from Shiva Stuti, a classical composition associated with the Junior Dagar Brothers. Dagar has claimed similarities in melody, rhythm and overall musical expression rooted in the Dagarvani Dhrupad tradition. Rahman, however, has maintained that his song is an original work and that elements of a classical tradition cannot be exclusively claimed under copyright law. The larger copyright suit is still pending.
All you need to know about Ponniyin Selvan II
Directed by Mani Ratnam, Ponniyin Selvan II is based on Kalki Krishnamurthy’s celebrated novel and continues the story of the Chola dynasty, weaving palace intrigue, power struggles and shifting loyalties. The film features Vikram, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Trisha Krishnan and Prabhu, with music composed by Rahman.
