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Ilaiyaraaja takes legal aim at Good Bad Ugly makers, echoes Coolie, Manjummel Boys copyright disputes

PUBLISHED DATE : 15/Apr/2025

Ilaiyaraaja takes legal aim at Good Bad Ugly makers, echoes Coolie, Manjummel Boys copyright disputes

Good Bad Ugly starring Ajith Kumar hinted of using Ilaiyaraaja's music when the movie's trailer dropped on April 4, 2025, six days before the film's release on April 10, 2025.

 

 

After Good Bad Ugly hit theater screens worldwide, it was revealed that music composer GV Prakash Kumar has not only remixed 'Oththa Roova' from the movie Nattupura Pattu (1996)—which by the way was the whole highlight of the Good Bad Ugly trailer—but also reused Ilaiyaraaja's  'Ilamai Idho Idho' from Sakalakala Vallavan (1982) and 'En Jodi Manja Kuruvi' from Vikram (1986).

 

11 days since Good Bad Ugly trailer's release, and a whole 5 days after the film's release, Ilaiyaraaja's legal team has now sent a notice to Mythri Movie Makers, the Telugu production banner behind Good Bad Ugly. In a four-page legal aim, Ilaiyaraaja's lawyers have noted that the Ilaiyaraaja songs in Good Bad Ugly have been 'used, altered, and commercially exploited' without getting prior permission from Ilaiyaaraja.

 

 

Citing violation of Section 51 of the Copyright Act, Ilaiyaraaja has demanded that Mythri Movie Makers pays him Rs 5 Cr. in 'unpaid royalties, damages, and legal costs'. Ilaiyaraaja also expects an 'unconditional written apology' within the next 7 days from Good Bad Ugly makers.

 

Additionally, team Ilaiyaraaja has demanded to stop further use and distribution of his music, and removal of his songs' altered versions from all platforms, echoing Ilaiyaraaja's past dispute with the makers of Rajinikanth's Coolie, over Anirudh's version of the 'Vaa Vaa Pakkam Va' song. 

 

 

It is worth mentioning here that all of Ilaiyaraaja's legal claims, stems from the 'special moral rights' authorized to the composer, over the traditional copyrights held by music labels. In 2024, Ilaiyaraaja settled a dispute with the producers of the Malayalam movie Manjummel Boys over the unauthorized use of his song 'Kanmani Anbodu Kaadhalan.' Initially demanding Rs. 2 Cr., Ilaiyaraaja resolved the conflict for Rs. 60 lakhs. 

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