Ilaiyaraaja Sends Legal Notice to 'Good Bad Ugly' Team, Demands Rs. 5 Cr & Written Apology, Know Why
Veteran music composer Ilaiyaraaja has issued a legal notice to the makers of ‘Good Bad Ugly’, starring ajith kumar and trisha krishnan, demanding compensation for using his songs without permission.
Veteran music composer Ilaiyaraaja has issued a legal notice to the makers of ‘Good Bad Ugly’, starring ajith kumar and trisha krishnan, demanding compensation for using his songs without permission. The producers have reportedly received a notice seeking ₹5 crore as damages.
Ilaiyaraaja sends legal notice
According to the notice, Ilaiyaraaja alleged that several of his iconic tracks — ‘Otha Rubayum Tharen’ from Nattupura Pattu, ‘Ilamai Idho Idho’ from Sakalakala Vallavan, and ‘En Jodi Manja Kuruvi’ from Vikram — were used in the film without his consent.
A News18 report quoted the notice as saying, “Such actions constitute unauthorized use, appropriation, and a clear infringement of our client’s copyright and moral rights. Please take note that he has never accorded any permission or consent, either express or implied, for using, altering, distorting, or changing the form of the musical works that have been used in the cinematograph Good Bad Ugly.”
The notice further demanded the removal of these altered versions from all platforms, an unconditional public apology, and a compensation of ₹5 crore for damages. Ilaiyaraaja also insisted that the songs be withdrawn from any further use in the film.
Good Bad Ugly producers respond
Responding to these allegations, the film’s director Adhik Ravichandran maintained that they had secured a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the music labels before using the tracks. In an interview with Hindustan Times, producer Yalamanchili ravi shankar of mythri movie makers stated, “We have taken permission from all the music labels required for the songs we used in the film. The labels hold the rights, so we followed protocol and obtained NOCs from them. We’ve done everything by the book.”
Meanwhile, despite the legal controversy, ‘Good Bad Ugly’ has emerged as a blockbuster, becoming the highest-grossing tamil film of 2025 with a worldwide collection of ₹171.50 crore.
Notably, this isn’t the first time Ilaiyaraaja has taken legal action against filmmakers for copyright infringement. Earlier this year, he sent similar notices to the makers of ‘Manjummel Boys’ and ‘Coolie’ for using his songs without authorization.
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