Apparently, the producers of Agent Vinod had to monetarily compensate for the old songs they used without permission

By Hiren Kotwani (MID-DAY; April 3, 2012)

 

In Saif Ali Khan’s recently released spy-thriller Agent Vinod, several old songs apparently were used without due permission from the producers or the labels that own the rights to the soundtracks.

This has resulted in Saif and his co-producers having to cough up extra cash, a lot more than they would have had to, had they adhered to the regulations.

Three songs in particular were used in the film Aasmaan Pe Hai Khuda from Ramesh Saigal’s Phir Subah Hogi (1958), Meri Jaan Maine Kaha from Ramesh Behl’s The Train and Rakamma from Mani Ratnam’s Thalapathi (1991).

A well-placed industry source tells us that more than the money, it was the credit that wasn’t given. “Not acknowledging the creators and owners of the songs is disrespectful towards them. It’s all about going the right way to do things. Besides, its about the business of making movies, not recovering royalties from the music used in the background.”

Director Sriram Raghavan maintains that he had already conveyed to the producers that they would need the required permissions. “That’s how I’ve worked before, for Johnny Gaddaar too. I think there might have been some miscommunication. The producers were following up with the process,” he explains.

Shrishti Behl Arya, daughter of late Ramesh Behl, recalls being surprised while watching the film. “The general More >