A R Rahman’s Appeal Leads To Stay On Copyright Case Over Veera Raja Veera

Veera Raja Veera

The Delhi High Court’s division bench on Tuesday stayed an earlier interim injunction granted to classical vocalist Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar in his ongoing copyright infringement case against music composer A.R. Rahman and the makers of Ponniyin Selvan 2.

The case revolves around the song Veera Raja Veera, which Dagar alleges is derived from the classical composition Shiva Stuti, originally composed by the late Junior Dagar Brothers.

The bench, comprising Justices C. Hari Shankar and Ajay Digpaul, reviewed the appeal and decided to stay the single judge’s interim order. However, it directed A.R. Rahman to deposit ₹2 crore as previously instructed. The judges clarified that this financial requirement is purely procedural and does not reflect the court’s stance on the case’s merits.

The matter is now listed for final hearing on May 23, 2025.

Background Of The Dispute

Earlier, Justice Prathiba M. Singh, while hearing the matter, had observed that Veera Raja Veera bore a striking resemblance to Shiva Stuti, even though the lyrics had been altered and modern musical elements had been added. According to her ruling, the core melody and rhythm appeared largely unchanged.

Dagar, who represents the Dagar family’s musical legacy, claims that Shiva Stuti—composed in the 1970s by his father Ustad Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar and uncle Ustad N. Zahiruddin Dagar—has been performed worldwide, including at the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam in 1978.

He asserts that he holds exclusive rights to the composition through arrangements with other legal heirs and sought to prevent Rahman and the film’s producers from using the track without proper attribution.

Credit & Copyright

The single judge had directed that Veera Raja Veera must credit Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar and Zahiruddin Dagar as the original composers of the piece. The injunction was intended to safeguard the intellectual and cultural heritage of the Dagar family, a prominent name in the Dhrupad tradition of Indian classical music.

With the stay now in place, the credit requirement and other aspects of the injunction are effectively paused until the final decision is rendered later this month.