Despite losing out on several projects, singer Kailash Kher vows to abide by the new copyright law
Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; February 26, 2014)

After Sonu Nigam and music director trio Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy, it is singer Kailash Kher’s turn to throw his weight behind the by-now-famous copyright law that governs royalty issues in the Indian music industry. The composer has already quit some projects and has been replaced with other singers but he insists on soldiering on.

It seems that the singer-turned-composer, who was approached to work on Hansal Mehta’s film, 'Citylights', and Dr Chandra Prakash Dwivedi’s next film, is no longer a part of these projects. Speaking about Dr Dwivedi’s film, Kailash says, “I don’t want to do anything illegal, so I asked them to make amends in my contract as per the new copyright law. I know that Dr Chandra Prakash was excited about working with me, but I think his producer was not ready to follow the new law that gives us royalty and performance rights.”

What’s more, Kher apparently has not yet been informed about being replaced with another composer in Hansal Mehta’s film, 'Citylights'. Kailash says, “During these times of transition, you gain some and you lose some. The problem with people is that they don’t want to understand a given law, rather they prefer to steer clear of it.” It is learnt that Jeet Ganguly will now compose music for 'Citylights' now.

Kher, however, is currently working on the music of 'Desi Kattey'. He says, “I will compose film music only on my terms. Besides, the film is being produced by a friend, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”

The music composer is also happy that many music companies are reviving their banners. He says, “For instance, Zee is reviving its music label and it has apparently agreed to deal with us as per the new copyright law. Now this is an encouraging development.”