Hyderabad: Veteran music composer Ilaiyaraaja has issued a legal notice to the makers of the Tamil action-comedy film Good Bad Ugly, accusing them of unauthorised usage and alteration of his classic compositions. The maestro has demanded compensation of Rs 5 crore following the massive box office success of the film.
According to the notice sent by Ilaiyaraaja's legal team, the film has used modified versions of three of his songs, namely Otha Rubayum Tharen from Nattupura Pattu, Ilamai Idho Idho from Sakalakala Vallavan, and En Jodi Manja Kuruvi from Vikram, without obtaining his permission or paying the statutory royalties owed to him.
A section of the legal notice states, "It has come to our Client's knowledge that his original creations/musical works namely the song Otha Rubayum Tharen from the Tamil movie Nattupura Pattu, song Ilamai Idho Idho from the Tamil movie Sakalakala Vallavan and En Jodi Manja Kuruvi from the Tamil movie Vikram have been used, altered, and commercially exploited in your cinematograph flm titled Good Bad Ugly without obtaining express consent/permission of our Client and/or his authorization, and without payment of royalties that he is statutorily entitled to."
The notice further accuses the film's producers of copyright infringement and violating Ilaiyaraaja's moral rights. "Such actions constitute unauthorized use, appropriation and a clear infringement of our Client's copyright and moral rights. You may also please take note that he has never accorded any permission or consent, either express or implied, for using/altering/distorting/changing the form of the musical work that has been used in the cinematograph Good Bad Ugly," it reads.
This is not the first instance where Ilaiyaraaja has taken legal action over the unauthorised use of his music. In 2024, he sent a similar notice to the makers of the Malayalam blockbuster Manjummel Boys for using Kanmani Anbodu from Gunaa without consent. The issue was settled following a payment of Rs 60 lakh by the producers.
Meanwhile, Good Bad Ugly, directed by Adhik Ravichandran and starring Ajith Kumar, Trisha Krishnan, and Arjun Das, continues to enjoy a phenomenal run at the box office, grossing over Rs 170 crore worldwide within just five days of release. The film has now become the highest-grossing Tamil movie of the year, surpassing Dragon, starring Pradeep Ranganathan.
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