Music maestro Ilaiyaraaja has always actively spoken out about his battle against cases of copyright infringement. In a latest development, the Rajya Sabha MP has issued a legal notice to the makers of ‘Manjummel Boys’ for ‘unlawfully’ using the song – ‘Kanmani Anbodu Kaadhalan’ – without his permission.
As reported by The Hindu, Ilaiyaraaja has mentioned that the makers of ‘Manjummel Boys’ did not seek consent, permission, or license from the composer to use the song which he had composed for ‘Guna.’ The music composer has alleged copyright infringement and has demanded that producers either obtain proper permission from him to use the song in the film or remove it entirely. In his notice, his counsel stated that ‘Kanmani Anbodu Kaadhalan’ was originally composed by Ilaiyaraaja.
Although the creators of ‘Manjummel Boys’ have acknowledged this in the title cards, the notice stated that “the same or any underlying gesture cannot be a substitute for our client’s permission/license/consent for such usage.” Additionally, the counsel also called for compensation for the unauthorized usage.
Directed by Chidambaram, ‘Manjummel Boys’ is based on a real-life incident of a group of friends who save one of their friends who falls into a chasm in the Guna Caves in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu. ‘Kanmani Anbodu Kaadhalan’ was used towards the climax of the movie as they get their friend out of the cave/ The movie was a commercial success and it raked in over Rs 200 crore at the box office worldwide. The movie was hailed for its plot and the performance of all the actors.
Recently, Ilaiyaraaja had also issued a notice to Sun Pictures following the release of the Rajinikanth-starrer ‘Coolie’ promo due to the use of one of his songs without permission.
