The copyright battle between Trimurti Films and the makers of Dhurandhar 2 over the recreated song ‘Tirchi Topiwala’ (Oye Oye) from the 1989 film ‘Tridev’ has hit a wall. Mediation between the two parties has failed, and the matter is now set to return to the Delhi High Court for the next hearing, scheduled for May 8.
What is the ‘Dhurandhar 2’ copyright dispute about?
At the centre of the legal row is the song ‘Rang De Lal’ (Oye Oye) featured in ‘Dhurandhar 2’, which is a recreated version of the iconic ‘Tirchi Topiwala’ from ‘Tridev’, the Sunny Deol-starrer composed by Anand-Milind with lyrics by Anand Bakshi.Trimurti Films, which claims ownership of the song’s rights, alleges that filmmaker Aditya Dhar’s production house B62 Studios used the track, or a substantially similar version of it, without obtaining the required permissions. The Delhi High Court had earlier referred the dispute to mediation, but as per a report by Bar and Bench, that attempt has now failed.With mediation yielding no resolution, the copyright matter will now proceed to a fresh court hearing on May 8.
Trimurti Films expresses outrage
Trimurti Films did not mince words about the alleged unauthorised use. In an interview with Mid-Day, a representative expressed strong disapproval, saying, “They have mutilated ‘Oye Oye’, and the young producer [Dhar] feigns innocence. They have crossed the line. Where is their conscience? My lawyer said [the case] becomes too ambiguous [due to the contract]. But where have I given permission to mutilate my song?”
More about the ‘Dhurandhar’ film franchise
The ‘Dhurandhar’ film franchise is a high-octane spy action duology starring Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, R. Madhavan, and others. The first instalment, released on December 5, 2025, grossed Rs 1,328 crore worldwide.The sequel matched that success, collecting over Rs 1,300 crore in the Hindi version alone, making the legal dispute all the more high-profile given the franchise’s massive commercial footprint.