Mythri Movie Makers, the production banner behind Tamil films Good Bad Ugly and Dude, has reached a settlement with legendary composer Ilaiyaraaja after a copyright dispute over the unauthorised use of his songs. The long-running issue has been resolved following the producers’ agreement to pay RS 50 lakh to the veteran music composer.

The compromise was submitted before Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy on December 3. According to the joint memo, the Hyderabad-based production house transferred RS 50 lakh to Ilaiyaraaja through RTGS, after deducting 10% towards TDS. The amount covers the use of three Ilaiyaraaja songs in Ajith Kumar’s Good Bad Ugly and two songs in Pradeep Ranganathan’s Dude.

As per the terms of the settlement, the two songs used in Dude will continue to remain available on the OTT platform where the film is currently streaming. However, the producers have agreed not to use the three songs from Good Bad Ugly going forward, upholding the interim injunction issued by the court in September 2025.

During the hearings, it was revealed that Mythri Movie Makers had incorporated the songs “Otha Ruba Tharen” (Nattupura Pattu, 1996), “Ilamai Idho Idho” (Sakalakala Vallavan, 1982), and “En Jodi Manja Kuruvi” (Vikram, 1986) in Good Bad Ugly without securing Ilaiyaraaja’s prior permission.

Ilaiyaraaja had also filed a separate suit challenging the usage of “Nooru Varusham” (Panakkaran, 1990) and “Karutha Machan” (Pudhu Nellu Pudhu Naathu, 1991) in Dude. In both cases, the court had granted interim injunctions in favour of the composer.

According to the joint compromise memo, the settlement was made in a spirit of “commercial settlement and gratitude.” Both parties have agreed to end all litigation and comply with the terms laid out in the agreement, bringing closure to a dispute that had drawn significant attention within the Tamil film industry.