It's Controversial/ Varaha Roopam copyright: Kerala HC quashes criminal case against Kantara makers

The Kerala High Court has quashed a criminal case registered against the producer, director, distributor and music director of the Kannada film Kantara (2022) for allegedly plagiarising Navarasam track of Thykkudam Bridge band as Varaha Roopam song in the movie.

The makers of the film, who were the petitioners, and the complainant, Mathrubhumi Printing and Publishing Ltd have reached a settlement in the case, allowing the song to be available for use in the streaming versions of the film on OTT platforms.

Criminal proceedings quashed against Kantara makers

In April, earlier this year, the Kerala court had issued an interim injunction prohibiting the use of a controversial song from Kannada action-thriller Kantara in theatres as well as OTT and digital streaming platforms, citing prima facie violation of the Copyright Act. The move for legal action was initiated last year, shortly after the release of the film on September 30.

Justice PV Kunhikrishnan quashed all the criminal proceedings against the producer of the film, Vijay Kirgandur, director of the film, Rishab Shetty, distributor of the film in Kerala, Prithviraj Sukumaran and composer of the song, Ajaneesh Loknath as all the disputes were settled between the parties based on a settlement agreement.

It was also submitted that both parties have entered into a settlement agreement and the complainants have no objection in quashing the criminal proceedings against the petitioners.

Kantara 2 in the works

Meanwhile, Kantara 2, a prequel to the movie, is also in the works. “What you have seen is actually Part 2, Part 1 will come next year. The idea flashed into my mind while I was shooting for Kantara because the history of Kantara has more depth to it, and currently, if the writing part is concerned we are in the middle of digging into more details,” actor-director Rishab Shetty, earlier this year in an interview with PTI.

Kantara released in theatres on September 30. It also featured Sapthami Gowda, Kishore Kumar G and Achyuth Kumar.