A little-known band from Ernakulam, Kerala, named Thaikkudam Bridge, sued the movie Kantara for the song “Varaaha-Roopam.” The hit song features Sanskrit lyrics and native janjatiya (‘tribal’) instrumentation. Ironically, the band themselves became popular with their cheap recreated versions of hit Malayalam movie songs.

Thaikkudam probably cannot sustain its intellectual property claim since traditional knowledge cannot be copyrighted. In contrast to other Bharatiya movies (especially those of the Urduwood sort), where Hindus are typically portrayed with disdain or contempt, Kantara had a typical Hindu hero and a matching storyline. Little wonder the movie became the target of radical Islamists and their far-left Marxist companions.

Kozhikode district court lifted the ban on using Rishabh Shetty’s song Varaaha Roopam in the movie Kantara. The court rejected the petition filed by the music band Thaikkudam Bridge alleging that the song was ‘plagiarized’. The song appears at the beginning and during the climax of the movie.

Interestingly, this court dismissed the petition citing a ‘lack of jurisdiction’ over the matter. This decision might have relieved the movie crew, but the song will not be used in the film immediately. Such conflicting court orders are useless for all practical reasons and delay justice.

Shashiraj Kavoor, the lyricist and composer of the Varaaha Roopam song, informed his fans about this court decision through Facebook. The lower court heard the arguments of both parties and dismissed the petition filed by Thaikkudam. Subsequently, the ban imposed on Varaaha Roopam has been removed.

He also proclaimed on Facebook that justice had won and added “Jai Tulunadu.”

While the movie has received mass appreciation from Hindus all across the country, this quasi-leftist comment by Shashiraj left some puzzled. Why restrict something which has resonated with all Hindus to a certain sub-region, they wondered?

Last month, Thaikkudam Bridge came forward with a complaint against the movie. The band alleged that Varaha Roopam was created by copying their song Navarasa. The Palakkad court order prevented Hombale Films (Kantara’s producer) from playing the music on streaming platforms without Thaikkudam Bridge’s permission.

The Tulu-speaking region of Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district is where Kantara is set. For once, an unapologetic Hindu is sympathetically portrayed as the hero. Any Hindu who grew up in the Malabar region near Tulunadu can identify with Theyyams. The gorgeous costumes were practically replicated in the Bhoota Kola shown in the movie. Thee-Pothi, the fire goddess, and the Gulikan, the furious deity, who mostly perform at dusk, are the most stunning.

It is no surprise that people believe in spirit possession, as evidenced by Travancore’s hypnotic Sarpam-Thullals (serpent dances) or the Velichapads (oracles) found in many Malayali communities. A practicing Hindu can believe in them with ease.

In Kantara, Siva, the main character, follows a carefree lifestyle that includes drinking, hunting wild boar, and picking fights. He stays away from the Bhoota Kola since his father’s mysterious disappearance as the village’s oracular dancer scared him. Later, he receives a call in his dreams from the Panjurli Daiva (ancestral spirits) that assist in difficult times. The fact that such movies are now becoming blockbusters shows how our nation’s narrative is changing and going back to its roots.

Varaaha Roopam and Navarasam are entirely unrelated. Both songs shared a similar guitar chord pattern and were primarily inspired by Thodi Raagam. Both of those are insufficient defenses to a plagiarism claim. While Navarasam is gloomy,  Varaaha Roopam is upbeat and boosts your spiritual state.

Thaikkudam Bridge longed for credits and money, but the courts granted them neither until now. Their legal action was an attempt to increase their fame at the movie’s expense. Kantara became a blockbuster film and recently joined the Rs. 400 crore club. Time will tell if Thaikkudam Bridge can ever produce a work of music or art as mind-blowing as Varaaha Roopam.

Thaikkudam Bridge

For all its worth, Thaikkudam Bridge is just another communist propaganda prop. They are known for allegedly plagiarising songs and adding music depending on the mood and the topic. They intentionally use traditional Kerala Hindu music and songs and present them featuring dark and depressive themes. The music band is also known for its alleged drug-fuelled mayhem, and their so-called fans are unsure whether they will entertain during the entirety of the show or leave abruptly.

Started in 2013 by Govind Menon and Siddharth Menon; the leading propaganda artist behind the band is their guitarist, Ashok Betty Nelson. Nelson is a controversial figure who accompanied the notorious Stephen Devassy for many years. It also involved several controversial alleged trips to Dubai.

Nelson is also the son of the fanatically anti-Hindu Marxist leader and Politburo member MA Baby. The CPM leader solemnized Nelson’s marriage during Rahu Kalam to ‘send out a strong message’ against the ‘superstition’ in society. They are the same ones who wait in their graves for ‘resurrection’.

Thaikkudam Bridge is an excellent example of how communism corrupts and degrades one’s soul. To ‘eliminate’ caste and provide equality even in names (cheap communist tricks), these wokes changed their last names, and Govind Menon became Govind Vasantha by adopting his mother’s name. Ashok Nelson, too did the same. For unknown reasons, Siddharth Menon left the band.

Social media quickly pointed out three significant achievements of Thaikkudam Bridge’s attempts to get Varaha-Roopam banned. It provided greater support for the Kantara movie, made such communist Keralites even more unpopular worldwide, and assured that Thaikkudam Bridge might find it hard to perform in Karnataka in the future. Kerala is a small market for the band compared to the rest of South Bharat.

Incidentally, Keralites living in Karnataka hate the communists back home. In 2008, after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the Kerala government, headed by communist chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan, insulted the supreme sacrifice of Major Unnikrishnan by refusing to send its representative for the funeral of the Malayali NSG commando who died battling terrorists. Though Major Unnikrishnan and his family are from Kerala, they are settled in Bengaluru. Not a single Kerala minister showed the courtesy of calling or visiting their house to offer a condolence, while their counterparts in Karnataka did.

To add insult to injury, Achuthanandan made unsavory remarks, saying, “Even a dog would not have glanced at that house had it not been Sandeep’s residence.” Achuthanandan’s offensive comments came after he was turned away from the Unnikrishnans’ Bengaluru home when he tried to visit them much later due to public pressure. Incidentally, current CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter Veena Riyas chose to open her IT company in Bengaluru.

Amid the controversy, Kantara was released on OTT platforms the other day without the Varaaha Roopam song. Fans pointed out that the film’s spirit had been lost.

For those who are interested in the commercial aspect of Taikkudam Bridge, they are sponsored by Asian Paints (Ultima Protect). Their ads still appear during prime time on all Malayalam channels.