- A plea seeking injunction against the song Varaha Roopam was filed in the Kozhikode District court by Thaikkudam Bridge, a Kerala-based music band.
- The court later dismissed the said petition and allowed the Kantara makers to add the song back to the film in both, theatres and on OTT.
- Kantara is available in several languages in theatres and is also streaming on Amazon Prime Video in four languages: Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam.
Rishab Shetty’s Kantara received immense love from the audience post its release in both Theatres and on OTT. However, a few days later, Thaikkudam Bridge, a Kerala-based music band, claimed that the Kantara makers copied the composition of Varaha Roopam from the band’s original composition, Navarasam. Following this, the band filed a plea seeking an injunction against the song in Kozhikode district court. Consequentially, an interim injunction was passed and the court ordered the filmmakers to remove the popular song, Varaha Roopam from the film.
This caused disappointment amongst the fans as the song was widely praised and loved. But later, due to lack of jurisdiction, the court dismissed the said plea and lifted the ban, thereby allowing the makers to add the song back to the film. Following the court’s order, Rishab Shetty posted the following lines on his Twitter account: “We have won the Varaha Roopam case with the blessings of the Gods and the love of the people. We are going to change the song on the OTT platform very soon considering people’s request.”
Apart from the Thaikkudam Bridge band, Mathrubhumi Printing and Publishing Ltd (MPPCL), the copyright holder of Varaha Roopam moved to the Palakkad District court and filed a suit against Hombale Films. Palakkad District court also ordered the removal of the song. However, in the end, even this court dismissed the plea setting aside the previous order and allowing the filmmakers to add the song back.
Where to watch Kantara on OTT?
Kantara is streaming on Amazon Prime Video in four languages: Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam as Prime Video bagged the digital streaming rights for Kantara. Although, the rights to the Hindi dubbed version have been reportedly bagged by Netflix.
Kantara cast
Kantara explores the relationship between humans and nature and stars the director Rishab Shetty as the lead Kaadubettu Shiva, Sapthami Gowda as Leela, Kishore as Muralidhar, a Deputy Range Forest Officer, Achyuth Kumar as Devendra, and Pramod Shetty. Vijay Kiragandur has produced the film under the banner of Hombale Film. The same label is also popularly known for its production of KGF, another Indian-Kannada language blockbuster.
Kantara review
IMDb rating: 9/10
Kantara has received universal acclaim from critics and the audience. The Hindu wrote in its review that, “Rishab Shetty succeeds in meticulously bringing a tale of myths, legends, and superstition, and that too in his native dialect.” Meanwhile, The New Indian Express said the film is “a compelling revenge-action drama with a neat blend of crime and divinity.” The Times of India’s review of Kantara called the movie “a visual grandeur”.
