Music director AR Rahman. File Image | Photo credit: PTI
The Supreme Court on Friday asked music composer AR Rahman and the producers of Tamil film Ponniyin Selvan II to consider giving “some credit” to Dhrupad singer and Padma Shri awardee Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar for the music composition ‘Shiva Stuti’ used in the Tamil film’s song ‘Veera Raja Veera’.
The composition of the song is based on “Shiva Stuti” which was originally sung by the Dagar brothers, Late Ustad N. Faiyazuddin Dagar and Late Ustad Zahiruddin Dagar, father and uncle of Mr. Wasifuddin Dagar.
Mr Dagar argued that the film admits and acknowledges that the song was based on the “Dagarvani Tradition Dhrupad” – a broad stylistic approach to Hindustani classical music – but did not give him any credit.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was hearing Mr. Wasifuddin Dagar’s plea against the September 2025 order of the Delhi High Court, which held that there was no prima facie evidence that the younger Dagar brothers were the authors of the classical rendition of “Shiv Stuti”.
“First performance does not necessarily mean authorship. Your case is more of an inference from the first performance that it is authorship. The question is whether you were the creator or you got it from the Dagar tradition and sang it for the first time,” Justice Bagchi addressed Mr. Dagar’s counsel.
The lawyer replied that his client had the right to a deposition. “My father and his brother created it,” the adviser said.
The court then emphasized that the contribution of the Dagarwan tradition should be recognized.
“There is no dispute about the originality of the melody. If these gharanas did not contribute to shastriya sangeet (classical music), do you think these modern singers would have done it,” Mr. Rahman’s counsel, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, told the Bench.
Mr. Singhvi said no objections were raised during the previous releases. “However, during our extradition, (Dagar) protested,” the senior advocate said.
“See, there should be some recognition. They are traditional worshipers of classical music. He is not in the competitive domain. They want respect and recognition,” the apex court told Mr. Singhvi, scheduling the case on February 20.
Published – 13 Feb 2026 22:06 IST