Ilaiyaraaja’s Notice: Mythri Reacts

Ajith’s Good Bad Ugly, directed by Adhik Ravichandran,, performs well in Tamil. Although the general moviegoers did not give rave reviews, the fans genuinely enjoyed the film. Interestingly, the film caught Ilaiyaraaja’s attention, who sued the makers with a notice. Ilaiyaraaja claims that three of his compositions were used in the film Good Bad Ugly, starring Ajith Kumar, without his consent or payment of royalty. However, the film’s producers claim that they have not violated any law and took permission from the company that holds the audio rights.

Speaking to a website, Mythri Movie Makers producer Naveen responded that they did nothing wrong while using Ilaiyaraaja’s songs in the film.

“We have taken permission from all the music labels required for the songs we used in the film. The labels hold the rights, so we have followed protocol and taken NOCs from them. We have done things by the book,” he said.

Earlier, in a notice sent to the makers, Ilaiyaraaja said, “Such actions constitute unauthorized use, appropriation and a clear infringement of our Client’s copyright and moral rights. Please 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.”

Ilaiyaraaja demands a written apology from the film unit along with a compensation of 5 crore rupees and the immediate removal of his songs from the film.