Kantara dialogue becomes viral meme as injunction on Varaha Roopam song is lifted

Over the last 2-3 days, Rishab Shetty’s blockbuster Kantara has been trending on social media for different reasons. First it was about its rumoured impending OTT release, and Amazon Prime Video’s last-minute announcement to that effect, then came a barrage of posts about the film’s most popular song, Varaha Roopam missing in the movie on the platform, having been replaced with a new and not as inspiring version. Enraged fans finally realized how the film was impacted by the ongoing legal tussle over copyright between Kantara makers Hombale Films and the Kerala-based band Thaikkudam Bridge, with the latter claiming that Varaha Roopam is a copy of its song Navarasam.

There were posts admonishing the band for claiming copyright over a song that is based on classical music ragas, while others thought that Hombale Films should settle the matter and pay them a royalty, given that music director Ajaneesh Loknath has openly admitted to being ‘inspired’ by the song. The hope, said netizens, was to find a resolution to this issue and ensure that the ‘original’ Varaha Roopam is back in the film.

Amid all this came news that had fans jumping in joy – a Kerala court had dismissed Thaikkudam Bridge’s plea and lifted the injunction on the song. Jubilant netizens saw this as a victory for Kannada cinema and that the song would be re-introduced in the film. In fact, a scene from Kantara soon became a viral meme in connection with this. The dialogue, “So, you will go to court, eh? I shall pronounce your judgement on those very stairs” has now become the meme that Kannada fans are posting in response to Thaikkudam’s attempt to stop Varaha Roopam.

In the film, a Kola performer (Rishab Shetty) possessed by the deity Panjurli, is taunted by a descendent of the King who had granted the villagers land in lieu of a deity in the form a stone, prove that he is actually god and that to get his land back, he (Shine Shetty) would be approaching a court of law. The performer responds that he would exact his judgement on the stairs of the court, before disappearing in the forest. The landlord eventually dies on the steps of the courts house.

The legal issues with Varaha Roopam are not over yet. Thaikkudam Bridge had obtained two injunction orders, one from the Kozhikode lower court and the other from Palakkad. While the former has been dismissed citing lack of jurisdiction, the one at Palakkad is still ongoing.