Chennai: Poet-lyricist Vairamuthu has criticized music director Ilaiyaraaja in the controversy relating to copyright of songs.

Vairamuthu stated that the lyrics of the poems and songs written by him are used for the titles of films, and he does not claim copyright over them.

Vairamuthu mentioned that “Vinnaithandi Varuvaya” and “Neethane En Ponvasantham” were the titles of his poems and were later used for films. He clarified that these names were given to the films without seeking anyone’s consent.

Vairamuthu’s statement comes in the wake of Ilaiyaraaja’s decision to take legal action against the songs composed by him used in music festivals and stage shows.

Vairamuthu had previously responded to this issue, stating that people with common sense know that a song comprises not only the melody but also the lyrics. Later, Ilaiyaraaja’s brother Gangai Amaran responded that Vairamuthu would face severe action if he spoke ill of Ilaiyaraaja.

Earlier, Ilaiyaraaja has filed a copyright infringement complaint against the Malayalam film ‘Manjummel Boys’, which collected more than Rs 200 crore at the box office. The lawyer sent a notice to the producers pointing out that the song ‘Kanmani Anbodu’ from the film ‘Gunaa’, music done by Ilaiyaraaja, was used in the movie without seeking his permission.