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Manjummel Boys makers pay 60 Lakhs to Ilaiyaraaja as compensation for copyright infringement; Reports
As per the latest reports, the makers of the Malayalam survival thriller Manjummel Boys have paid a compensation of 60 lakhs to Ilaiyaraaja for copyright infringement in the film.
The Malayalam survival thriller flick Manjummel Boys has constantly been making headlines this year. However, it cannot be said that all of it is for the right reasons. Earlier this year, Ilaiyaraaja had served a copyright notice against the film’s makers for the unauthorized use of the song Kanmani Anbodu, which the maestro had composed for the 1991 film Gunaa.
In the latest update, it has been reported by Cinema Express that the makers of the survival flick have paid a sum of 60 lakhs to the music composer as compensation. As per reports, Ilaiyaraaja had demanded a compensation of 2 crores, owing to the massive success of the film. However, following discussions, the makers of Manjummel Boys ended up paying 60 lakhs.
While the makers of Manjummel Boys claimed that they had taken sufficient permission from the music companies that own the right to the song, Ilaiyaraaja’s counsel maintained that the song was composed by him, and he holds the absolute rights over all of his original musical works. In fact, the notice sent to the film’s team mentioned: “The same or any underlying gesture cannot replace our client’s permission, license or content for such usage.”
Ilaiyaraaja mentioned that his rights were protected under the Copyright Act 1957, and stated that the usage of his creation for commercial purposes without his permission and payment of royalty was a clear violation of the law.
Interestingly, this is not the first time Ilaiyaraaja has sent copyright notices for the unauthorized usage of his songs. In May this year, the maestro had served a notice against the makers of Rajinikanth’s upcoming film Coolie, helmed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, for the usage of the song Va Va Pakkam Va, from the 1983 movie Thanga Magan. In 2017, the veteran music composer had also served a copyright notice against his frequent collaborator and singer SP Balasubrahmanyam for performing Ilaiyaraaja’s songs on stage without permission.
Incidentally, this is not the only legal trouble the makers of Manjummel Boys find themselves in. In May this year, a case was filed against the makers of the film, alleging that they had scammed one of the film’s investors off of 7 crores. It was alleged that the producers had pre-planned intentions of cheating the investor, and haven’t spent a single penny from their own pockets.
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