MUMBAI: Musician Rabbi Shergill has been in the news lately over the plagiarism issue revolving around Gaurav Dayal’s compositions in Onir’s latest feature film â€?Sorry bhai’.
In a fresh development, the Delhi High Court lifted the stay and cleared the release of the film after the filmmakers agreed to delete the track from the movie.
Sorry Bhai was released on Friday, 28 November, as scheduled; earlier, the court had ordered a stay on the release of the film till 8 December. The track in question is â€?Jalte hai’ from Sorry Bhai which resembles Shergill’s composition, â€?Ballo’ from his album Avengi Ja Nahi. Shergill had argued stating the “composition, rhythm and tempo were very similar” to his track.
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When asked about the making of his track, Shergill says, I had composed the tunes of the track myself and the album was recorded in Gaurav Dayal’s studio in Delhi and he was the producer of my album. I had given credit to him on my cover as well but I hadn’t assigned the rights of the song to him…. The rights of the songs still lie with the composer Rabbi Shergill, he insists.
The track was lying in his system and he just changed the tune here and there and passed it on as his composition,… alleges Shergill.
When quizzed why he waited till the release of the movie to file a case against the filmmakers, he clarifies, I received a call on the afternoon of 25 November at about 3.30 pm from a friend, saying my tunes were lifted. I went ahead with the legal proceedings then. I wasn’t awaiting the release of the movie. I don’t need publicity and didn’t go out looking for trouble….
The court gave a nod for the film’s release subject to the clause that the filmmakers will have to pay certain amount from revenue generated by the film towards damages to the original composer, Rabbi Shergill.
Commenting on the plagiarism existing in the industry, Shergill avers, Lifting somebody’s composition and passing it on as your own is burglary. The musicians resorting to such ways should be dealt in the same manner as a thief….
Before Rabbi Shergill, it was composer Ram Sampath who had sued film producer Rakesh Roshan and music composer Rajesh Roshan for using his tune for their film â€?Krazzy 4′ without his permission. The result was the Roshans had to shell out Rs 20 million as compensation.
Gaurav Dayal, despite repeated attempts by Radioandmusic.com, could not be contacted for his version of the incident.
