A song that once helped define Rajiv Rai’s Tridev is now at the center of a bruising fight over authorship and consent. The filmmaker has publicly attacked the makers of Dhurandhar The Revenge after discovering in a theatre that Oye Oye had been used in the film, a moment that sparked both outrage and a legal challenge.
Rai said the shock went far beyond a routine music rights disagreement. For him, the issue cuts into the personal and creative history attached to Tridev. “In my opinion, this is a theft. I am burgled. I have lost my identity, my legacy, my goodwill of Tridev, which is gone into another film,” he said.
Rajiv Rai’s Sharpest Charge Against Dhurandhar
The filmmaker’s angriest remark was aimed at what he sees as a collapse of original thinking in the current remix culture. Referring to the recreated version, Rai said, “Sorry to say this but (what they have made) is a trashy song… the creativity has gone in the dustbin.”
He has also made his legal position clear. Rai said the matter is listed for hearing on May 6 in Delhi, where the original contract with T-Series applies, and stressed that his fight is not a private backroom negotiation. He added that he has neither spoken to the film’s producers nor its director since the controversy erupted.
That public blast has now put fresh scrutiny on the film that used the song, turning Dhurandhar The Revenge into the latest flashpoint in the ongoing debate around remixes, reuse and creative permission.
The Film At The Heart Of The Oye Oye Dispute
Directed by Aditya Dhar, Dhurandhar The Revenge arrived in theatres on March 19, 2026, backed by Jio Studios and B62 Studios, with Ranveer Singh leading a cast that also includes Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan and Sara Arjun. Mounted as a spy action thriller, the film follows an undercover Indian intelligence operative navigating Karachi’s criminal and political underworld while pursuing a mission tied to revenge and national security.
The use of a reworked Oye Oye in that big-screen setting is precisely what has triggered Rai’s objection. What might have played for some as a nostalgic callback has instead opened up a pointed argument over where homage ends and appropriation begins.
Why This Fight Goes Beyond One Song
What gives this dispute its sting is that it touches a larger anxiety within Hindi cinema’s music culture. The repeated return to familiar songs may deliver instant recall, but it also raises a harder question about whether recognisable nostalgia is replacing the labour of creating something new.
That is where Rai’s comments have landed with unusual force. His attack is not just aimed at one film or one remix, but at an industry habit that keeps mining old cultural markers for fresh packaging. The court battle may decide the legal boundaries of this case, but the argument he has started reaches well beyond Dhurandhar The Revenge.
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