The Bombay High Court on Tuesday, refused to grant urgent ad-interim relief to Trimurti Films Pvt. Ltd. in a high-stakes copyright battle against Dharma Productions, Saregama India, and rapper Badshah. The dispute centres on the alleged unauthorised use of the iconic 1992 song Saat Samundar Paar in the upcoming film Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri, scheduled for release on December 25.
At the heart of the hearing in the case is ownership and synchronisation rights. Trimurti Films, the original producer of the 1992 film Vishwatma, filed the suit claiming it is the first owner of the copyright for the song, including its lyrics, tune, and musical composition.
Trimurti argued that a 1990 agreement with Saregama’s predecessor granted only limited “mechanical rights” for making records and cassettes. According to Trimurti, this agreement did not include rights to synchronise the song with new cinematograph films, adapt, remix, or modify the original recording. Trimurti claimed that the right to incorporate the works into new independent copyrighted material without explicit authorisation, was also not included.
Conversely, Dharma productions contended that their use was compliant with existing licencing terms and pointed to past instances where the song was licenced to third parties for movies like KICK (2014) and various advertisements.
After going through the arguments, the bench of Justice Sharmila U Deshmukh declined to grant an immediate injunction to stall the song’s use or the film’s promotion. The court noted that the balance of convenience tilted toward the defendants, as a cinematograph movie involves substantial investment and there was no evidence that removing the song would not harm the script.
Additionally, the court highlighted that a teaser featuring the tune had been released as early as December 2024, questioning the urgency of Trimurti’s claim.
The court has scheduled a further hearing of the issue on January 9, 2026. Trimurti Films is seeking Rs 10 crore in damages and a permanent injunction against the track’s exploitation.
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