Ilaiyaraaja takes legal action against director Shankar

Composer Ilaiyaraaja has filed a case against director Shankar for using one of his songs, Ooru Vittu Ooru Vandhu, from the 1989 film Karagattakkaran in his recently released film Kappal without permission or complying with copyright rules.

Kappal has been directed by Karthik G. Girish, a former assistant of Shankar. Impressed with its comedy quotient, Shankar had bought the release rights of the film.

When asked at a recent meet about using the full Ooru Vittu song in Kappal, the makers had said that they had paid for the song before incorporating it in the film.

Shankar, apparently, had an agreement with Agi Music Pvt. Ltd. for the license to remix the particular song. However, Ilaiyaraaja and Agi Music are involved in an ongoing legal tussle in court for the latter using the composer’s songs without complying with copyright rules.

Recently, the Madras High Court had granted an interim injunction restraining Agi Music and others from exploiting the musical works of Ilaiyaraaja in any language.

Under these circumstances, using Ooru Vittu is clearly a violation of the court order, says Raja’s legal adviser. He has also demanded that Shankar immediately pay royalty for the song, which has been used in radio and television promotions.

The makers of Kappal have also been asked to remove the song from the film with immediate effect, failing which suitable civil or criminal actions will be taken against Shankar and others.