The trailer for Sidharth Malhotra and Tamannaah Bhatia’s upcoming film ‘The Vvaan – Force of the Forrest’ has run into controversy, after independent vocalist and composer Sargam Vaish accused its makers of using his unreleased track without his permission.
Vaish raised the issue on Instagram on September 20, sharing a video in which he pointed to a segment of the trailer running from roughly 1:08 to 1:33, claiming it featured his own rendition of the devotional composition ‘Aigiri Nandini’. He said he had been working on the track for close to three years and had never granted the film’s team permission to use it, alleging that the master recording, production and vocals from his original work had been used as they were, rather than simply a similar composition.
Alongside the video, he shared a screenshot showing a modification date of March 9, 2024 on his file, and posted a note addressed to the makers headlined “Remove my song from The Vvaan.” He added that the alleged unauthorised use could also affect an existing agreement he holds with a major music label, and did not rule out legal action if the track is not taken down.
The film’s makers have not, as of this report, issued a public response accepting or disputing Vaish’s claims, and the allegations have not been independently verified as a case of copyright infringement.
Directed by Deepak Kumar Mishra and written by Arunabh Kumar, ‘The Vvaan – Force of the Forrest’ draws on the folklore surrounding the Van Devi Temple and follows Sidharth Malhotra’s character, an urbanised man who returns to his native village and finds himself caught between development and long-held local tradition.
The film also stars Shweta Tiwari, Maniesh Paul and Anup Soni, and is produced by Ektaa Kapoor, Shobha Kapoor, Niraj Kothari and Arunabh Kumar under Balaji Motion Pictures, in association with TVF and 11.11 Production. It is scheduled for a theatrical release on September 25.
