Manjummel Boys, the blockbuster movie earned rave reviews from audiences and critics. The Chidambaram directorial paid homage to Gunaa, the Kamal Haasan starrer released in 1991, with its dialogues and the much-loved climax scene which featured the iconic ‘Kanmani Anbodu’ song. However, things took a different turn when Ilaiyaraaja who composed the song, sent a legal notice to the Manjummel Boys team for using the song without his permission. Reportedly, the legend has now won the lead battle against the makers of the film.

Manjummel Boys gives compensation to Ilaiyaraaja

If the recent updates are to be believed, the legendary music composer won the legal battle against the makers of Manjummel Boys. The producers of the blockbuster film reportedly paid Ilaiyaraaja a compensation of Rs. 60 lakh, for the unauthorized usage of ‘Kanmani Anbodu’ song from Kamal Haasan starrer Gunaa, in the film. Reportedly, Ilaiyaraaja initially demanded Rs. 2 crore as compensation, considering the massive success of the Chidambaram directorial.

According to the latest reports, the Manjummel Boys team opted for an out-of-court settlement for the issue. The team paid Ilaiyaraaja Rs. 60 lakh after a detailed discussion with the music composer’s legal team. For the uninitiated, the notice issued by the legend’s legal team revealed that the ‘Kanmani Anbodu’ song was used in the film without his permission. The notice also confirmed that Ilaiyaraaja holds complete rights over all his original works, even though the ownership still lies with the respective music labels.

For the uninitiated, the 'Kanmani Anbodu' song, which was originally composed for the 1991-released Kamal Haasan film Gunaa, started trending yet again after the release of Manjummel Boys. After the massive success of the Chidambaram directorial, the Santhana Bharathi directorial is now gearing up for a grand re-release in 4K format, very soon. However, you can always revisit Gunaa in the popular platforms Aha Tamil and OTTplay Premium.

Ilaiyaraaja's legal battles

Ilaiyaraaja, who has asserted his ownership of his original works under the Copyrights Act 1957, has made it clear that the exploitation of his composition for commercial purposes is strictly prohibited. The songs composed by the musician can be used only with his permission and approval. Recently, Ilaiyaraaja similarly sent a legal notice to the makers of Coolie, the upcoming Rajinikanth starrer directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, for the unauthorized usage of the ‘Disco’ song from the blockbuster film Thanga Magan.

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