Filmmaker and producer Rajiv Rai of Trimurti Films has filed a lawsuit against the makers of Dhurandhar The Revenge for using the song ‘Oye Oye’ from his film Tridev during a sequence in the film. The veteran director didn’t mince words while speaking about the case and sharing how upset he is at his song being used in the film in an exclusive conversation with Bollywood Hungama.

EXCLUSIVE: “Creativity has gone in the dustbin”: Rajiv Rai SLAMS Dhurandhar makers for using ‘Oye Oye’ in the film; says, “You take a man’s sperm and impregnate another woman without that man knowing”

When did you see the movie and realize that the song from your film has been used?

I saw the film like anybody else, as an audience. I watch films every Friday. I was shocked in the end to see my song. I had no idea. If there was a producer who was not in good health, he could have got a heart attack or a cardiac arrest. I had not heard the soundtracks (before watching the film). The soundtracks were not released before the film, else people would have called me and said, ‘Oh, your song is here’. They didn’t release it earlier as people know that I go to courts and disapprove of it. This is what I am presuming. The same thing had happened in Dharma’s film (Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri) where they used ‘Saat Samundar Paar’. I had no clue my song was there. At that time also I was in a state of shock.

In my opinion, this is a theft. I am burgled. I have lost my identity, my legacy, my goodwill of Tridev, which is gone into another film. I don’t care what the music company thinks or the producer or directors say. In my eyes, this is theft. I want to tell the audience that till my dying day, any song that goes without my permission into a film is a theft.

Sorry to say this but (what they have made) is a trashy song. Maybe they make for kids today and the creativity is gone in the dustbin. Maybe these producers don’t have the time or energy or money to create new songs. I don’t know what it is. There are 10-year-old kids who don’t know about Tridev and ‘Oye Oye’. They think that this song belongs to Dhurandhar. You think that’s fair?

The film released on March 19. Why did it take these many days for you to file the case?

You get accused for the fact that you are doing this for money. Shah Rukh Khan called me for (the rights of ‘Duniya Haseeno Ka Mela’ to be used in The Ba***ds Of Bollywood) for Gupt. I am sure he was willing to pay and in my opinion, right or wrong I don’t know, he is the richest guy in Bollywood, as far as I know. Pardon me if there is someone richer than him. He can afford to pay me. He personally called. And I didn’t take any money.

Where this song (‘Oye Oye’) is concerned, it took 8-9 days to form the case because the original contract with T-Series says that you have to do it in Delhi. We were in another city and we had to organize lawyers and people there. It went to Monday. I was not keen to delay the case. I was not even keen to wait for the OTT. I told my lawyer that if he can have the song removed. There is a damage and they will have to compensate but it’s not about money. I wanted a removal, which the judge didn’t get and he said he has another hearing and he will clear it before the OTT release, which is very disheartening for me. Today, if you want to remove something from a running film, it’s very easy. In the digital world, you can do it in a few hours.

I have sold the music. I am not denying that in court. When you sell the music, you know they are going to make millions out of it. The producer doesn’t make any money out of it. I am not upset with that. I am not upset that I sold the music at a lesser price than the market price. So, where does it go wrong? When you signed the contract in the 80s, you didn’t know the future. The remixing era did not exist. The era of putting a song into another film absolutely did not exist. If it did exist, I wouldn’t have given those rights. So, the judge and the court need to understand what is the frame of mind of the producer when he is selling something for a very low price.

Here’s where everything starts falling apart for the producer. The science of filmmaking is very simple. There is a soundtrack and a picture track. You marry them and a baby is born and you get a film. You do not sell the married copy to the music company. You sell them only the sound and the soundtrack. You do not sell the soundtrack to marry it with another picture. You can’t make another baby out of it. In simple layman terms, there is a sperm bank. You take a man’s sperm and you impregnate another woman without that man knowing. The guy says that is my sperm you used but that is not my baby. But it becomes your baby as it’s your sperm. It’s like you take a man’s personality and you give birth to another girl or boy. The same science applies to films. You have taken my soundtrack and attached it to another film. I wouldn’t have given that permission.

The rights of the songs are with T-Series. Have you had a word with them?

All the music companies are distributors. They are not copyright holders. They may say in the contract that they have the copyrights for everything. But they haven’t created that song. It is not their Intellectual Property right. You cannot prove that in court. This is where the law has to step in. They take the soundtrack and marry it with a new picture. Do you think in the day dreams I would have given that permission? If I am telling the truth, I will win in the end. For thieves, I have no sympathy. My fight is not for money. My fight is for the righteousness of all producers.

In all these days, have you spoken to the producers and director of Dhurandhar The Revenge on the issue?

I have never done that. I never will and I won’t.

Why?

That is not my job. When you steal somebody’s song, you reach out. When I am using the word ‘steal’, they may put a defamation on me. And this is my argument that this is a theft. But the court has to decide that this is a theft. Till it’s not proven, the producer, director and music company are not thieves. I am saying that also. But in my eyes, they are. I have a right to give my opinion. So, in my opinion, this is a theft.

What is the current status of the case? When is the next hearing?

It’s on May 6. The case went pretty okay. All judges, obviously, think that the producers are fighting for money. Everybody is damaged when you take something and put it in another film. It’s a damage. There will be damages, so there is a monetary angle to the whole thing. But the main angle, of course, is that the producer wants the song removed. So when we go to the court, we humbly ask the judge to please remove the song. Today, Tridev is hampered; it’s disturbed. In bad language, it’s f***ed. Did I make this song, to be put into a third film? No! Will somebody care to ask me? I am going to fight it to death. For me, this has become a very important battle.

I am ready to come to the court and swear on the Gita that I didn’t know that the song was there. Will I lie on the Gita? I am a spiritual Hindu. I am a vegetarian, I don’t drink, I don’t smoke and I pray.. They said they sent us a statement or something. But we haven’t received anything. I know a lot of songs of mine have been used. But when they came out, I didn’t know. Sometimes I come to know after six months, sometimes after six years. In the case of Kick (in which they used the song ‘Saat Samundar Paar’), I came to know after many years. Earlier, I used to forgive. But now, it’s unforgivable. I have reached a breaking point.

Also Read: The next 12 to 18 months will show whether Dhurandhar 2 saved Bollywood or poisoned it with copycats

More Pages: Dhurandhar The Revenge Box Office Collection , Dhurandhar The Revenge Movie ReviewTags : Bollywood, Bollywood Features, Controversy, Copyright, Court Case, Dhurandhar, Dhurandhar The Revenge, Features, Legal, Music, Oye Oye, Rajiv Rai, Ranveer Singh, Song, Track, Tridev, Trimurti Films
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