Composer Anirudh Ravichander accused of plagiarizing song in Vijay's 'Leo'
What's the story
Renowned Tamil composer Anirudh Ravichander is currently facing allegations of plagiarism over a song in his latest film, Leo, which stars Vijay.
Several listeners pointed out that the song Ordinary Person from Leo bears a striking resemblance to Belarusian artist Otnicka's track Where Are You?
Fans alerted Otnicka over the similarities through comments on YouTube and Instagram, and he responded that he had not granted any permission for his song to be used by Ravichander.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Ravichander was already a prominent figure in the South Indian film industry, known for his contributions to films like 3, Maari, Jersey, and Vikram.
Recently, his work gained nationwide acclaim for composing the music for Shah Rukh Khan's film Jawan, directed by Atlee.
Notably, Jawan had a multilingual release in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu, which further increased his popularity across India.
However, now, the accusations of plagiarism against Ravichander have his fans concerned.
Statement
'Situation very unclear': Otnicka addresses issue on Instagram
On Tuesday, Otnicka took to Instagram to address the plagiarism claims in depth.
In a post, the artist said, "Guys, thanks for hundreds of your messages about the movie Leo... The mail is overflowing with messages, Instagram, as well as thousands of comments on YouTube under the video Where Are You."
"The situation is very unclear... We are looking into this and a little later I will give an assessment of everything that is happening (sic)," he added.
Reactions
X/Twitter users call out Ravichander for alleged plagiarism
On X/Twitter, netizens criticized Ravichander, accusing him of allegedly copying Otnicka's song.
They share side-by-side comparisons of Ordinary Person and Otnicka's Where Are You? on the platform, emphasizing the notable similarities.
Many users contended that no permissions were obtained for such usage.
Despite the growing controversy and public discourse, Ravichander has not yet responded to these allegations, leaving the matter unresolved.
Twitter Post
Have you heard 'Ordinary Person' yet?
As you all asked, here is #OrdinaryPerson from #Leo 😀😀😀https://t.co/dxG8o6LVj6
— Anirudh Ravichander (@anirudhofficial) October 23, 2023
🎙️ @NikhitaGandhi
🖋️ #Heisenberg
Thalapathy @actorvijay @Dir_Lokesh @trishtrashers @7screenstudio @Jagadishbliss @SonyMusicSouth
Accusations
Ravichander faced similar plagiarism accusations in 2018
Ravichander found himself in a similar situation back in 2018 when his song Kalyana Vayasu from Nayanthara's film Kolamaavu Kokila faced accusations of plagiarism.
Many users noticed the resemblance between the song's tune and an English track, Don't Lie, by Sannan.
However, at that time, Ravichander responded to the criticism in a tweet.
He defended himself, stating that he had obtained the necessary license to use the beat from the English song.