Bengaluru's city civil court has ruled in favour of actor Ramya's production house, Apple Box Studios, in a title dispute over their upcoming film. The film, titled ‘Swathi Mutthina Male Haniye’, was under legal scrutiny after veteran filmmaker Rajendra Singh Babu claimed that the title was copied from a famous song in his film. The court found no evidence to support Babu's claims and lifted the stay order, allowing the film to retain its title.
Swathi Mutthina Male Haniye is a romantic drama directed by Raj B Shetty, starring Siri Ravikumar and Raj B Shetty himself in the lead roles. The film is currently in its post-production phase, with the first copy expected to be ready by April 15. The court's decision has brought relief to the makers, who had faced a potential setback if the title was changed.
Apple Box Studios had earlier argued that the phrase Swathi Mutthina Male Haniye was a common phrase in Kannada and had been used in many films before. They had also contended that Babu had no exclusive right over the title as he had not registered it. The court agreed with Apple Box Studios' argument and observed that Babu had failed to show that he had registered the title or that one line of a song could be considered as copyright material.