After Ilaiyaraaja, Dhanush’s father Kasthuri Raja to take legal action against Good Bad Ugly team over song

Filmmaker-writer Kasthuri Raja, actor Dhanush’s father, has objected to the use of three songs in Ajith Kumar’s starrer Good Bad Ugly. According to a News18 report, he talked to the press in Salem and expressed displeasure at old songs being used in films without consent. (Also Read: Kuberaa teaser: Dhanush and Nagarjuna promise an intense ride in Sekhar Kammula directorial. Watch)

Kasthuri Raja rues songs used without permission

Talking to the press, Kasthuri reportedly rued that three songs – Panju Mitthai, Otha Ruba Tharen and Thootuvalai Ilai Arachi – from his films were used without his consent in recent films. He criticised the current generation of filmmakers and music composers for lacking originality. 

“Unlike when stalwarts like Ilaiyaraaja and Deva created timeless music, today’s creators seem to rely on nostalgia rather than innovation. It’s not an issue to use old tracks, but one must seek permission from the original creators. Unfortunately, no one bothers to ask these days,” he complained, confirming that he will take legal action soon. 

When Ilaiyaraaja sent legal notice to GBU makers

For the unversed, the song Otha Ruba Tharen was used in Adhik Ravichandran’s Good Bad Ugly, which was released in theatres on 10 April. A few days after the film’s release, Ilaiyaraaja sent a legal notice to producers Mythri Movie Makers for using three of his songs in the film without consent, demanding ₹5 crore compensation and asking them to remove the songs from the film. 

Producer Yalamanchili Ravi Shankar of Mythri Movie Makers, who produced the film, told Hindustan Times that they did nothing wrong while using Ilaiyaraaja’s songs in Good Bad Ugly. “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 have followed protocol and taken NOCs from them. We have done things by the book,” he says.