Ilaiyaraaja urges Madras Excessive Courtroom to stop use of his songs in Dude film

The Madras Excessive Courtroom, on Wednesday (November 26, 2025), reserved orders on a plea by acclaimed musician R. Ilaiyarajaa to restrain Hyderabad-based Mythri Film Makers, the producers of tamil film Dude from persevering with to exhibit the film, in any medium together with OTT platform, together with the songs’Nooru Varusham‘and’Karutha Machan‘ that have been composed by him for different films up to now.

Justice N. Senthilkumar deferred his orders on the interim injunction utility pursuant to a civil go well with filed by the composer searching for a everlasting injunction and a compulsory injunction directing the manufacturing home to instantly take down all unauthorized content material associated to the plaintiff’s copyright works and in addition disclose the earnings derived to date by wrongful exploitation of the 2 songs within the film. Dude,

Senior counsel S. Prabakaran, representing the composer, argued that the respondent Mythri Film Makers was within the behavior of utilizing the songs composed by the plaintiff in its films with out searching for his permission. He stated, the identical manufacturing home had used 4 of his consumer’s songs in Ajith Kumar-starrer Good Unhealthy Ugly (GBU) forcing his consumer to acquire an interim injunction towards that film.

He stated, the identical manufacturing home had as soon as once more used two different songs of Mr. Ilaiyaraaja in its newest film Dude starring Pradeep Ranganathan and Mamitha Baiju. Intervening through the arguments, the choose, in a lighter vein, stated, the most recent pattern amongst film makers gave the impression to be the usage of outdated songs of their new films and such a pattern was giving rise to claims of copyright violations.

‘Does it not give reputation?’

“When your outdated songs get utilized in a brand new model, is it not reputation that you simply get to your songs?” the choose requested Mr. Prabakaran who replied that the issue was with mutilation of the songs composed by his consumer. He insisted on an interim injunction because the film ‘Dude’ had accomplished its run in cinema theaters however was nonetheless being telecast on the OTT platform alongside together with his consumer’s songs.

However, when senior counsel PV Balasubramaniam, representing Mythri Film Makers which had filed a caveat, commenced his arguments, the choose requested: “Why are you repeatedly infringing plaintiff’s copyrights as claimed by him?” Responding to it, the senior counsel stated, his consumer had obtained the rights from Sony Music which was now holding the copyright for each the songs.

Stating that Mr. Ilaiyarajaa had composed these two songs earlier than sure amendments have been made to the Copyright Act of 1957, he stated, as per the pre-amended provisions, the primary proprietor of the copyright was solely the producer of the flicks for which Mr. Ilaiyaraaja had composed the 2 songs Nooru Varusham and Karutha Machan and people producers had bought the rights to Sony Music.

When a counsel for Sony Music tried to make his submissions, the choose stated, he couldn’t hear him because the music label was not a celebration to the go well with. “It could not be acceptable to listen to you when you find yourself not a celebration to the case,” the choose instructed the counsel.