Dhrupad singer W Dagar, AR Rahman in row over Mani Ratnam film song

The production house claimed the number is a “traditional composition created by Narayana Panditacharyain in the 13th century”.

Wasifuddin has claimed that the composition, in Adaana — a late night raga, was composed by his uncle Ustad Zahiruddin Dagar, who sang it for years with Ustad Faiyazuddin Dagar, Wasifuddin’s father. The duo was better known as Junior Dagar Brothers.

According to Wasifuddin, the Shiva stuti was first recorded in 1978, when the Junior Dagar Brothers were in a live concert at the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam as part of the Holland Festival. The recording was made through magnetic tape audio recording using spools in 1978 and re-released in 1996 as a set of two CDs by the Royal Tropical Institute.

The piece was eventually passed on to several students of the Dagar family, including Wasifuddin, who sings it regularly at his concerts, he has said.

Wasifuddin said the composition is almost entirely “lifted” for the film. “I wish Madras Talkies and Mr Rahman had taken the family’s permission. I would have never said no. But doing it like this, for massive commercial gains, is very problematic. The composition has just been lifted and sung in the same taandav style…. The only difference is the arrangement of the piece,” Wasifuddin, who sent a letter to Rahman claimed.

According to Wasifuddin, Rahman spoke to him on the phone for less than a minute. “All he said was that his production team will be in touch,” he said.

Wasifuddin received the letter from the lawyers of Madras Talkies, stating, among others, that dhrupad originated from Swami Haridas and that “no one person can claim monopoly over a style of singing”.

When The Indian Express spoke to Rahman’s team, a senior member said that since Madras Talkies owns the song, the production house will comment on the matter. When contacted, a representative of Madras Talkies said, “no comment”.

S Anand, Wasifuddin’s student and founder of the publishing house Navayana, who had alerted Wasifuddin about the piece on release, said, “Rahman has belatedly credited Dagarvani but the lawyers said it’s a Shiva stuti by Narayana Panditacharya. If you check online, this Shiva stuti is a Sanskrit chant, whereas the bandish by Junior Dagar Brothers is in Braj bhasha…”