Kailash Kher planning to take legal action against the makers of theme song of Gorakhpur Mahotsav?

Singer-songwriter Kailash Kher has accused the makers of the song Nath Yogi — the theme song for the upcoming Gorakhpur Mahotsav, of lifting the tune and copying the music from his 2017 song, Adi Yogi. The cultural extravaganza will be held in Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s hometown Gorakhpur from January 11 to 13. According to Kher, makers of the song, written by Vimal Bawra and sung by Pranay Singh, did not seek ‘permission’ from him and hence, have violated the copyright infringement act.

“This is a problem in our country. People unintentionally commit crimes that are really serious in nature. They have copied our song Adi Yogi, and are claiming it to be their own,” says Kher. The original song was written by the current CBFC chair person Prasoon Joshi.

Upset at this whole situation, Kher is of the opinion that such things happen because people take celebrities lightly.

“People think ‘yeh toh celebrity hai’ iske pas kahan time hoga ladena ka (he is a celebrity and won’t have time to fight his case. And that’s why crimes like these are committed. But I am not going to take this lightly. As we speak, my company, Kaialasa records’ legal team is planning what action to take,” he says.

However, Kher rules out any sort of involvement of UP Chief Minister is this matter. “I think he is not even aware that something like this has happened. Some people might want to take refuge under his name, but I don’t think he is involved. As for the crime, it’s a crime. I want people to know about it and see, how crimes of such nature are committed against us, and why a musician in this country hardly ever gets what he deserves,” he states.

Vimal Bawra, the lyricist of Nath Yogi, however, denies these accusations. Rejecting the charge, he told HT over the phone, “We have not copied the tune. Only the raga is the same. Raga is not a subject of copyright. Many songs can be made on the same raga. Even in Bollywood, many songs have been composed on the same raga.”

Stating that Kher was like his elder brother and both had the same guru Prahlad Singh, Bawra added, “The two songs are different in terms of their context, tunes and place. While his [Kher’s] song is on Lord Shiva, my song is dedicated to Guru Gorakhnath.”

When contacted for his comment, Gorakhpur divisional commissioner Anil Kumar, who heads the committee, which has been constituted to manage the Gorakhpur Mahotsav, said he was unaware of the development. “We have received no complaint about any copyrights violation related to theme song of Gorakhpur Mahotsav,” he stated.

The theme song has gained popularity on YouTube with over 15,000 views. The video contains footage of Adityanath clad in the attire of Mahant (head priest) while performing aarti on the occasion of Vijay Dashmi at Gorakhnath temple. The Nath Yogi song praises Gorakhpur for its vivid culture and great personalities.

Follow @htshowbiz for more