Filmmaker Rajiv Rai has expressed strong displeasure with Dharma Productions after discovering that the announcement promo for Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri, the upcoming Kartik Aaryan and Ananya Panday romantic comedy, briefly featured the opening beats of his iconic Vishwatma (1992) track Saat Samundar.
Rajiv warns to go to court
The 32-second teaser, released in December 2024, sparked an unexpected copyright dispute when fans noticed the familiar musical cue. Speaking to mid-day, Rajiv said he was shocked to hear the signature beats in the promo and immediately asked his legal team to reach out to Dharma Productions and Saregama, the music label that owns rights to several of his films. According to him, no one sought his approval.
“Saat Samundar’s beats are not there in the latest teaser. I don’t know if it’s in the film. But they can’t use it without permission. It’s becoming a bad trend where filmmakers reuse old songs and claim they’ve taken rights from the music label.”
Rajiv explained that although Saregama owns distribution rights for his music, his contract does not allow the label to license his compositions for use in other films. The filmmaker confirmed that his lawyers would formally notify producer Karan Johar and the Tu Meri… team, asking them to halt the use of his music unless proper permissions are obtained. Still, Rai hopes for a peaceful and amicable outcome.
“They can use the songs for TV and stage performances, but not insert them into a new movie. They have to approach me, pay me, and formalise it legally. I don’t like legal battles; they waste time, energy, and money. But if they don’t follow protocol, we will go to court, before or after release.”
Not the first time for Rajiv
{{/usCountry}}“They can use the songs for TV and stage performances, but not insert them into a new movie. They have to approach me, pay me, and formalise it legally. I don’t like legal battles; they waste time, energy, and money. But if they don’t follow protocol, we will go to court, before or after release.”
Not the first time for Rajiv
{{/usCountry}}This isn’t the first time Rai has faced such an issue. He recalled that Tip Tip Barsa Paani (Mohra, 1994) was initially remixed for Sooryavanshi (2021) without his consent. The filmmaker reported that he had a meeting with Rohit Shetty, and they settled the matter. However, Rajiv noted he is not always rigid. He granted Duniya Haseeno Ka Mela (Gupt, 1997) for Aryan Khan’s debut series The Ba***ds of Bollywood free of charge.
Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri is slated for a Christmas 2025 release.
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