Ilaiyaraaja paid Rs 60 lakh by ‘Manjummel Boys’ team for copyright infringement | Reports

The controversy between the producers of the film 'Manjummel Boys' and music director Ilaiyaraaja over the use of the song 'Kanmani Anbodu' from the film ‘Gunaa’ has been amicably resolved. Various media outlets have reported that the producers of 'Manjummel Boys' compensated Ilaiyaraaja, settling the issue.

Initially, Ilaiyaraaja demanded Rs 2 crore as compensation, citing copyright infringement. After negotiations, the producers paid Rs 60 lakh, as reported by national media.

The dispute began last May when Ilaiyaraaja's lawyer sent a notice to the producers of 'Manjummel Boys' for using the song 'Kanmani Anbodu' without permission. The notice said that just because it is mentioned in the title card doesn’t mean that the song can be used. The lawyer's notice has mainly pointed out that copyright infringement has been committed. He had made it clear that either permission should be sought or the song be removed. The notice also stated that legal action would be taken if the compensation was not paid within 15 days.

But the producer Shawn Antony replied that the song was used in 'Manjummel Boys' legally. The rights to the song belong to the music companies Pyramid and Sri Devi Sounds. The original song, featured in the 1991 film 'Gunaa', had its audio rights sold by Ilayaraja's wife to Pyramid Audios, which later transferred the rights to Music Master and Sri Devi Video Corporation. Parava Films subsequently acquired the Tamil rights from Music Master and the Telugu rights from Sri Devi Video Corporation for use in 'Manjummel Boys'. The producer had also said that he had not received a lawyer's notice from Ilayaraja.