Kantara: 'Varaha Roopam and Navarasam NOT based on same ragas,' says singer Sai Vignesh

Just as in the case of any successful venture, Kantara has had its share of controversies over the past week or two. One such, and perhaps the most sensitive of the lot, is regarding the track Varaha Roopam and the plagiarism accusations made by band Thaikkudam Bridge who, having deliberated over the issue, are now seeking legal action against the makers of Kantara. So, in this vein, several artists and noted names have come forth with their respective stances, and while many agree with the Kerala-based band's concerns over the glaring similarities, some believe that though the Kantara track sounds a lot like Navarasan, the two songs are fundamentally different from one another. 

Tending to the latter is the singer of Varaha Roopam, Sai Vignesh, who opines that the songs are dissimilar mainly because of their mood and context. In a recent interview with The News Minute, Sai Vignesh speaks about how Navarasam depicts the nine emotions or the bhavas whereas Varaha Roopam, because of being part of a larger narrative, is centred on the Bhoota Kola culture and carries the essence of divinity. Stating that he hadn't listened to Navarasam before rendering Varaha Roopam, Vignesh asserts that the two songs are not based on the same ragas. 

"Varaha Roopam is based on the Thodi, Mukhari, and Kanakaangi ragas," adds Vignesh before explaining how the Kannada song is structurally different to Navarasam. "In carnatic compositions, a singer traditionally sings at least two to four lines in the same raga before they move to the next one, but here, almost each line is sung in a different raga," he says in the same conversation with The News Minute.

Thaikkudam Bridge, on the other hand, is firm in its decision to fight for the rights of the song and seek legal action against the team of Kantara. The announcement to do so came amid a lot of scrutiny and an inherent fear of facing up to a large production house of Hombale Films' repute - yet, the music band forged on with the support of their ardent fans, fellow musicians, and others. On October 28, the group announced that the Kozhikode court directed the makers of Kantara and the whole gamut of streaming platforms to refrain from using Varaha Roopam without their permission. Hombale Films are yet to comment on the matter.