Chennai: The Madras High Court on Friday ordered the removal of two old Ilaiyaraaja songs from the film Dude, starring Pradeep Ranganathan and Mamitha Baiju. The interim order by Justice N Senthilkumar was passed on Ilaiyaraaja’s petition, which argued that using his songs without permission constituted copyright infringement.

The songs in question are “Karutha Machaan” from ‘Puthu Nellu Puthu Naattu’ and “Nooru Varusham Intha Mappilakku” from ‘Panakkaran’, which were used in Dude, directed by Keerthiswaran and produced by Mythri Movie Makers. The court upheld Ilaiyaraaja’s claim that “the songs had been distorted before being included in the film”. The court did not grant the movie makers’ request to allow seven days to remove the songs from theatres, where the film is currently showing. The hearing will continue on January 7.

During the proceedings, the High Court asked Ilaiyaraaja about the common practice of old songs becoming more popular when reused in films. The court also sought clarification on how presenting old songs in a new form could affect the composer. Nonetheless, the court acknowledged that the “alterations had compromised the essence of Ilaiyaraaja’s songs”, validating his grievance.

Earlier, the Madras High Court had also barred Mythri Movie Makers from exhibiting, distributing or selling the film Good Bad Ugly, starring Ajith, which included three of Ilaiyaraaja’s old songs. The film had to be withdrawn from OTT platforms.

Ilaiyaraaja has maintained that he retains full rights over the songs he composed, and music companies do not have the right to modify, broadcast or release new versions without his consent. His related petition is still pending before the Madras High Court.

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