During the court hearing, Vanitha Film Productions, which is behind ‘Mrs. and Mr.’, informed the judge that they have now removed Ilaiyaraaja’s name from promotional content.
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Music legend Ilaiyaraaja has taken legal action against the makers of a recently released film, ‘Mrs. and Mr.’, for using his name and song without his permission.
Following his complaint, the filmmakers have removed his name from all promotional material.
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Ilaiyaraaja approached the Madras High Court, saying that the producers had wrongly claimed he was involved in the movie. He told the court that he had no connection with the film at all. But still, his name was used in advertisements, creating a false impression among the audience.
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One of the main issues is the use of the song ‘Sivarathri’, which Ilaiyaraaja composed for the 1990 Kamal Haasan film ‘Michael Madana Kama Rajan’. According to him, the producers of ‘Mrs. and Mr.’ used this song in the film without asking for his permission.
Even worse, the song was in the promotional campaign. It gave people the idea that he was the composer of the new film.
During the court hearing, Vanitha Film Productions, which is behind ‘Mrs. and Mr.’, informed the judge that they have now removed Ilaiyaraaja’s name from promotional content on Instagram and other platforms.
The court took note of this update.
Ilaiyaraaja’s lawyer argued that this was not just a mistake but a serious case of misrepresentation. The composer has asked the court to stop the makers from using the song or his name in any way. He also wants the producers to reveal any profits they may have earned by using his name or music.
In addition to the main legal case, Ilaiyaraaja has filed two urgent applications. One demands the removal of the song from the movie, and the other seeks to block the film from being shown, sold, or streamed until the issue is resolved.
However, the filmmakers pushed back. Their lawyer said that Ilaiyaraaja had wrongly named Vanitha Vijayakumar as the producer in his complaint. The actual producer is Jovika Vijayakumar.
They also pointed out that Sony Music owns the rights to the song ‘Sivarathri’, and that Sony should be part of the case.
The court has now given Ilaiyaraaja time until August 18 to make changes to his complaint and officially include Sony Music as a party in the legal matter.
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