[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by The Rationalist

I would have paid money to the Thaikudam brand and kept the original Varaharoopam song. I hate the Thaikudam brand because they have remixed many Malayalam classic songs without any shame and acting holier than thou. You can't expect class from cheap stakes.

Good point. Thaikudam became a rage in Kerala with their track 'Nostalgia' which was actually nothing but a remix and medley of some fantastic evergreen songs. They started the trend of given this new spin to old songs in Malayalam. Now I wonder if they got the appropriate rights to do that.

Having said that , the lead singer Siddharth Menon was fantastic and this track made him a household name. I personally enjoy the old songs sung by the current batch of singers. Not the massively remixed ones, but the original with the benefits of being recorded with modern technology. The below playlist on Spotify is only such songs. Some are remixed heavily, but most just put a different spin on the orginal

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37...urce=copy-link

[theabstractmind]

Originally Posted by Samurai

There is a difference between reproducing an article vs creating a superior music composition after being inspired by something. I listen to Hindustani classical and Carnatic classical music a lot. I don't see this as a copy at all, because Varaha Roopam is much superior product, the so-called inspiration doesn't give me the same vibe.

Originally Posted by ph03n!x

After listening to the first minute of both Varaha Roopam and Navarasam in a good sound system or headset, follow the Nadaswaram in Varaha Roopam vs. Violin in Navarasam, if you still think this is not a copy

I respect both of your opinions. While I fully agree with @ph03n!x that the two songs are very similar in structure, they are not identical. At the same time, I also agree with @Samurai's version that this is a heavily inspired, improvised and superior (in terms of the impact when mixed with the visuals) version.

There are really many songs which sound identical nowadays, especially with the techno, RnB, Hip Hop, what all and what not. People will need to stop making music. And as someone said, Purandaradasa's descendants may get ideas now!

Off topic: I lost a lot of respect for Ilayaraja due to his copyright obsession which stopped even a legend like SPB performing his songs. At the same time, Robindrosongeet, which is so often rendered in various interpretations is famous and relevant in Bengali music for the reason that copyrights were not imposed. While the tunes themselves at times were inspired by a Western composition or a classical composition, the vastness and quality is indisputable. And thankfully his families did not lay a claim on copyright. Why? SD Burman has created a gem out of the mukhda of an Oriya Bhajan, and used the mukhda of a Tagore song to create an all time hit. And many more possibly inspired by folk tunes. But he created haunting melodies and made the music loveable and accessible to the public.

Finally back to topic, Kantara is a routine masala movie. But, a big one at that, it is made really well. The narration and the climax coupled with the tradition depicted in a very simplistic yet impactful manner is tough to achieve. Not many would even attempt a topic of that kind. That's where the movie shines. It has a few negatives, but let's not discuss on them. Surely it deserves a 4 out of 5 rating.

[akkosetto]

Sad to see people claiming filmmakers are innocent on this. They admitted it was ‘inspired’ from TB and singer even falsely claimed they acquired rights.

After people pointed it out, TB reached out to Hombale and was ignored, that made TB go public with this.

This is not first time Rishab Shetty / Ajaneesh has copied a song and they hoped to get away with it again.

See below two songs (even same Navarasam album from Thaikkudam!) and this time even visuals are exact copy.

https://youtu.be/XSZHjIWX6qY

https://youtu.be/-mrwSO5yo4Y

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by theabstractmind

And as someone said, Purandaradasa's descendants may get ideas now!

That was me too...

Originally Posted by akkosetto

See below two songs (even same Navarasam album from Thaikkudam!) and this time even visuals are exact copy.

That was nice of TB to have taken permission from Disney for copying the tune from Lion King's song Circle of life.

Regarding Visuals, Northern Kerala has very similar culture as Tulunadu. It is impossible to determine who copied whom historically.

[dragonfire]

"If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck".

No amount of expert analysis is going to change the fact that they plagiarized the song.

Nor does whataboutery. "They have copied too" isn't good enough here".

[theabstractmind]

Originally Posted by akkosetto

Sad to see people claiming filmmakers are innocent on this. They admitted it was ‘inspired’ from TB and singer even falsely claimed they acquired rights.

After people pointed it out, TB reached out to Hombale and was ignored, that made TB go public with this.

This is not first time Rishab Shetty / Ajaneesh has copied a song and they hoped to get away with it again.

See below two songs (even same Navarasam album from Thaikkudam!) and this time even visuals are exact copy.

https://Youtu.be/XSZHjIWX6qY

https://Youtu.be/-mrwSO5yo4Y

Really speaking, I think some of us here are saying it is heavily inspired. Just that, it is not identical. In a sane world, the filmmakers should have acknowledged it. Sad that they chose to argue in the court. But there are really so many songs made by many bands or music directors which sounds like that of another band or composer that it will be a never ending loop. So unless something is an identical copy, it is possibly better to leave things as they are. My personal opinion.

Regarding the visuals, there is an elaborate video which shows making of the song and you will see that the dance sequence is a mix of many such bhoota kola events which have taken place in real life. You can't argue plagiarism there. Can you? I do agree, the disappearance scene has a similarity with Navarasam. But haven't we seen that in innumerous movies?

I think a piece of art should be appreciated for improvisation and presentation. By all means criticize if it's an identical copy - frame to frame, beat to beat, note to note - Or, the improvisation robs the original of it's soul. In the case of Varaha Roopam, it was really done excellently to picturise the climax. Very impactful.

And please don't consider this as a language bias. I'm a music lover who listens to different genres and languages, so as movies. In fact, I like some Malayalam movies more than anything else made in India, and rarely watch Kannada movies unless it is considered a worth watch. And I can say Kantara has done its job well. It depicts the culture of the land well. As @Samurai put it, the coastal regions of Kerala and Karnataka have similar culture. So sometimes (Ratatouille anyone?) We need to turn off the critique in us to be able to appreciate a piece of art.

[SmartCat]

My observation on this plagiarism controversy based on TeamBHP/Twitter posts:

Most folks from Kerala think Varaha Roopam is a copy of Navarasam. And conversely, most folks from Karnataka don't.

It is quite possible that on a subconscious level, our views on this topic is influenced by our regional identity.

[akkosetto]

Originally Posted by Samurai

That was me too...

That was nice of TB to have taken permission from Disney for copying the tune from Lion King's song Circle of life.

Regarding Visuals, Northern Kerala has very similar culture as Tulunadu. It is impossible to determine who copied whom historically.

I can understand regional bias, but very unfortunate that you see ONE as similar as lion king to the ditto copy video.

Having same culture is one thing, copying a video from starting shot to end is altogether different matter.

There is also allegation that another song from Kantara Singara siriye is copied from Apsara aali, though I haven’t checked that.

The point is, when there is enough evidence of habitual offence, how can you defend them?

In our country where copyright regulations are pretty lax I don’t expect much to happen, but hope atleast this makes Rishab Shetty / Ajaneesh think twice before taking out the carbon paper.

[vb-saan]

I watched the movie yesterday, and quite liked it – especially the way the folklore and traditions were woven into the narrative.

I did not feel that the current muffled version of Varaharoopam aired on Prime has taken out the soul of the movie. The movie still stands out as a superior product. Yes, the original version was much more impactful, and the arrangements were brilliant. I hope they get to reinstate the first version back into the movie.

Originally Posted by Samurai

Just because someone had a similar-sounding but virtually unknown song made many year ago, an amazing superhit song has been destroyed, literally.

I am no fan of Thaikkudam Bridge, but I do understand that the band got a steady fan following, and one of its lead is a popular Music Composer Govind Vasantha. The song Navarasam was not unknown to me (and it was definitely not unknown to the music director of Kantara), and I remember listening to it when it was released many years back.

Varaharoopam in my opinion is much better to listen to than Navarasam. The vocals especially have a much better feel about it. And as many pointed out earlier, songs following the same raga can have similarities, and with ancient art forms in the mix (Bhoota Kola / Kathakali music), the similarities are even more possible. That said, the inspiration in orchestration and arrangement is evident, and just an acknowledgment of that would have avoided this issue altogether. And I would say this acknowledgment is required, whether it is Thaikkudam Bridge or any virtually known/unknown band in Kochi, Bangalore, Bombay, or anywhere for that matter.

Originally Posted by SmartCat

It is quite possible that on a subconscious level, our views on this topic is influenced by our regional identity.

I don't think this is about regional identity. As I mentioned above, say this band in question is from Bangalore or Mysore, my thoughts on this 'inspiration' topic will be the same.

[Latheesh]

Originally Posted by SmartCat

It is quite possible that on a subconscious level, our views on this topic is influenced by our regional identity.

Funny thing is Thaikkudam Bridge band have more haters in Kerala than fans.

[dragonfire]

I tried watching the movie on Prime, but couldn't sustain interest for long. Well, the locales, the cinematography and the color tones are really beautiful. What didn't work for me is the acting. They all act as if they are in a stage pay - feels very artificial. Felt as if I was watching a big budget stage drama.

ps: I didn't like KGF nor Arjun Reddy nor Pushpa (the only regional movies I tried watching)

[vibbs]

Kantara: Kannada with subtitles

Enough has been said about varaharoopam and I have nothing new to add. So I will limit myself to the movie.

As a window to the culture of locals and the traditions, it works. The picturization is great and the atmosphere is well captured. Rishabh Shetty though fails to deliver as an actor in my opinion. He was too loud and overacting for most part except the final 15 mins. That was fantastic.

The movie itself was pretty ordinary, regular masala stuff and does not offer anything if you remove the folklore and the culture.

One time watch for the nice frames and the last 15 mins.

[Rajeevraj]

Looks like Varaha Roopam is back in the movie on Amazon. Although am seeing it for the Tamil and Malayalam versions currently.

[StarrySky]

Originally Posted by SmartCat

Most folks from Kerala think Varaha Roopam is a copy of Navarasam. And conversely, most folks from Karnataka don't.

It is quite possible that on a subconscious level, our views on this topic is influenced by our regional identity.

I think our views depend mainly on which version we like better. Kerala folk are more likely to have known and liked Navarasam before ever listening to Varaha Roopam, and it's the opposite for Karnataka folks.

I listened to Navarasam and watched the music video for the first time a few years back. The first time I heard (of) Varaha Roopam was when my wife showed me a short video on Instagram or Youtube (before this controversy broke out), saying, "Look at this, someone has copied Thaikkudam including the visuals".

[jkrishnakj]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Looks like Varaha Roopam is back in the movie on Amazon. Although am seeing it for the Tamil and Malayalam versions currently.

Yes. They won the appeals in the higher courts and this is now reinstated back. Still don’t see that song in Spotify though. Hope it’s back.