The Bombay High Court on Monday declined to hit the pause button on the use of the iconic song Saat Samundar Paar in the soon-to-release film Tu Meri Main Tera Tu Meri, dealing an early setback to Trimurti Films in its ₹10-crore copyright battle against Dharma Productions, Saregama India and music artist Badshah.
A single-judge bench held that the case did not warrant urgent interim relief at this stage, especially with the film poised for release. The court was unconvinced by Trimurti’s claim that its decades-old assignment agreement granted only a narrow set of rights, and found the balance of convenience leaning towards the filmmakers.
The court underlined a practical reality of cinema production: films are high-investment ventures, and there was nothing on record to suggest that removing the disputed song would be harmless or that it was dispensable to the narrative. On that footing, the request for an immediate stay was refused.
Trimurti Films has sued the producers—Dharma Productions and Namah Pictures—along with music label Saregama India and rapper-composer Badshah, alleging unauthorised use of a remixed version of the 1992 hit originally featured in the film Vishwatma. The suit seeks damages, a permanent injunction, and even a restraint on the film’s release to the extent it includes the allegedly infringing track.
According to Trimurti, it stumbled upon promotional material earlier this month where the familiar tune appeared in social media teasers, despite the song not being part of the film’s official music album. It maintains that no licence was sought for remixing or synchronising the song with a new cinematograph film.
The company’s case rests on the assertion that it remains the first owner of the copyright in Vishwatma and its soundtrack, and that a 1990 agreement with Saregama’s predecessor transferred only limited rights tied to reproduction and distribution of existing sound recordings—not the power to adapt or remix.
The court, however, read the assignment differently. It noted that the agreement went well beyond mere sound recording rights and extended to all rights, title and interest in the underlying literary and musical works. After more than three decades, the court said, Trimurti could not plausibly argue that only a sliver of rights had been handed over.
With that, the remix stays—for now. The larger copyright dispute remains alive, but the film’s release will not be stalled at the threshold.
