Ilaiyaraaja Secures Rs 50 Lakh Settlement From Dude Makers Over Song Rights

A copyright dispute involving veteran composer Ilaiyaraaja and Mythri Movie Makers has concluded with the production house agreeing to compensate the musician Rs 50 lakh for using his work in Dude, starring Pradeep Ranganathan. The matter was formally closed after the Madras High Court recorded a settlement between the parties.

The issue stemmed from the inclusion of Ilaiyaraaja’s popular tracks Nooru Varusham and Karutha Machan in the film without the composer’s approval. Karutha Machan, originally created for Bharathiraja’s Pudhu Nellu Pudhu Naathu (1991), was featured in a wedding sequence, prompting Ilaiyaraaja to take legal action alleging copyright infringement.

According to a PTI report, the settlement was submitted to Justice Senthilkumar

Ramamoorthy, who accepted the joint memorandum dated November 28, 2025. While closing the application, the judge noted, “I find no legal impediment for decreeing the suit in terms thereof.”

The latest agreement comes after a previous conflict between the composer and the same production house over Ajith Kumar’s Good Bad Ugly. In that case, Ilaiyaraaja had secured an order that resulted in streaming platforms removing his songs from the film’s Netflix release.

The dispute surrounding Dude extended beyond India as well. Ilaiyaraaja filed proceedings in the United States against Sony Music Entertainment India, Echo Recording Company, and Oriental Records, accusing them of permitting the unauthorised use of Karutha Machan. His team claimed a lack of response from Sony Music even as the film continues to run with the song intact.

The track appears in a comedic interval sequence performed by Pradeep Ranganathan and Mamitha Baiju. Ilaiyaraaja had earlier raised objections to Mythri Movie Makers for allegedly incorporating several of his classic compositions in Good Bad Ugly without permission, including Otha Rubayum Tharen, Ilamai Idho Idho, and En Jodi Manja Kuruvi.

Released earlier this year, Dude emerged as one of Tamil cinema’s biggest hits of 2025, earning around ₹100 crore at the box office. The romantic comedy-drama, directed by Keerthiswaran, marked Pradeep Ranganathan’s return as a leading man alongside Mamitha Baiju.

Ilaiyaraaja, now 82, remains one of the most influential figures in Indian film music. With more than 8,600 songs and scores for over 1,500 films across nine languages, he continues to be a dominant voice in conversations about music rights and the protection of composers’ work.