Ilaiyaraaja, the iconic composer, is outraged that his old songs are being used by singers, music directors, directors, and producers without paying royalties. Even the legendary singer SP Balu, who had a decades-long friendship with Ilaiyaraaja, was not spared. Before his death, SP Balu refused to perform Ilaiyaraaja’s songs due to the royalty dispute.
Ilaiyaraaja remains firm in his stance and is fighting a legal battle over royalty payments for the commercial use of his old tunes. Recently, he served legal notices to director Lokesh Kanagaraj and production house Sun Pictures for using one of his old songs in the teaser for Coolie. Despite his long association with Rajinikanth, he sent notices to the producers of Rajinikanth’s films as well.
In another instance, he served legal notices to the makers of the hit Malayalam film, Manjummel Boys, for using the song Kammani Prema, which he originally composed for the Kamal Haasan-starring film Guna.
These actions have ignited a heated debate in the film industry. Some argue that Ilaiyaraaja’s demand for royalties is justified, while others believe he is overreaching. Analysts point out that typically only producers and music companies charge fees for song usage, not composers. The debate over this issue continues to unfold.
