Music composer Ilaiyaraaja issued a legal notice to the producers of Manjummel Boys after the film’s release in February. He claimed they used his song, Kanmani Anbodu Kaadhalan, without permission. While he demanded a compensation of ₹2 crore, Moneycontrol reports that the matter has now been settled for ₹60 lakh. 

Ilaiyaraaja gets ₹60 lakh compensation

After receiving the legal notice, the producers of Manjummel Boys—Soubin Shahir, Babu Shahir, and Shawn Antony—reportedly met the composer in person. As the film was a massive success and the song was used extensively in the movie, Ilaiyaraaja demanded ₹2 crore compensation.

Still, the matter was eventually settled for ₹60 lakh, as per reports. ‘Intense negotiations’ were said to have occurred before the settlement as the producers found the demand ‘exorbitant’. Both parties eventually reached a compromise. The song Kanmani Anbodu Kaadhalan is from the 1991 Kamal Haasan-starrer Gunaa.

Ilaiyaraaja legal tussle for his music

Ilaiyaraaja has been fighting for rights over his music for a while now. In 2017, he sued singer SP Balasubrahmanyam for singing his compositions without permission on a world tour. He recently also sent a legal notice to the producers of Rajinikanth-starrer Coolie for using the song Vaa Vaa Pakkam Vaa from the 1983 film Thanga Magan without his permission for a promotional video.

The musician is also embroiled in a legal battle with Indian Record Manufacturing Company (INERCO) in Madras High Court over songs he composed in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The court questioned whether Ilaiyaraaja could claim the song, as the lyrics were penned by someone else.

About Manjummel Boys

Directed by Chidambaram and starring Soubin, Sreenath Bhasi, Balu Varghese, Ganapathi S. Poduval, Lal Jr., Deepak Parambol, Abhiram Radhakrishnan, Arun Kurian, Khalid Rahman and Shebin Benson in the lead roles, the Malayalam movie is based on a true incident from 2006. It follows a group of friends visiting Guna Caves in Tamil Nadu and what happens when one of them is trapped there.

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