Kantara on OTT: Varaha Roopam song modified online after plagiarism claim by Kerala band

Pan-India film 'Kantara', which recently took the theatres by storm, has now made its way to OTT, but with a change.

Makers of the film, who were accused of plagiarising the song 'Varaha Roopam', have allegedly made some modifications to it.

Varaha Roopam Plagiarism Row

Indian music company, Thaikkudam Bridge, warned of legal action against the makers of 'Kantara' for plagiarising their song. "From our and our partners standpoint, we would like our listeners to know that Thaikkudam Bridge is in no way or form affiliated with "Kantara". The unavoidable similarities between our IP "Navarasam" and "Varaha Roopam" in terms of audio is therefore a blatant infringement of copyright laws," the band had stated.

"From our standpoint the line between "Inspired" and "Plagiarized" is distinct and indisputable and therefore we will be seeking legal action against the creative team responsible for this," they added.

Court's verdict

After the band moved court, the Principal District and Sessions Judge, Kozhikode, asked the makers of 'Kantara' as well as all music-streaming platforms to stop playing the song 'Varaha Roopam' in the film without the permission of Thaikudam Bridge.

The band had thanked the court for "justice" and had urged people to recognise individual artistes and give them due credits if their work is used.

Netizens upset with modified 'Varaha Roopam'

After 'Kantara' was released on OTT, netizens expressed their disappointment over the modified version of 'Varaha Roopam' that is now being played in the film. They claimed that the "soul of the film" is no longer the same.

'Varaha Roopam' comes at an important plot point during the dance performance of 'Bhootha Kola' when the Guliga God possesses the body of one of the characters.

Helmed by Rishab Shetty, 'Kantara' was released on September 30 and gathered massive responses from the audience for its storyline and amazing visuals. It was released in Hindi on October 13 and it went on to shatter several records at the ticket windows.