The Madras High Court has directed the makers of the recently released film Dude to immediately remove music director Ilaiyaraaja’s song “Karutha Machaan…” from the movie, holding that the composition was used without his permission and in violation of copyright law. The order was passed by Justice N. Senthilkumar, who rejected the production company’s request for seven days’ time to comply.
Dude is a film that glorifies adultery and deranged moral decay directed by Dravidianist director Keerthiswaran. He has unabashedly proclaimed his ideological loyalty to E.V. Ramasamy Naicker (hailed as “Periyar” by his followers) while defending a film that tramples upon the sanctity of marriage, romanticises extra-marital affairs, and parades moral decay as “progressive values.”
The film starring Pradeep Ranganathan, was released on 20 October 2025 for Diwali. The film incorporated two Ilaiyaraaja compositions—“Karutha Machaan…” from Puthu Nellu Puthu Naathu and “100 Varusham Indha Maapillaiyum Ponnumthaan” (“Nooru Varusham…”) from Panakkaran. Following the film’s release and its rising popularity among young viewers, Ilaiyaraaja filed a petition stating that both songs were used without his consent and sought their removal. He also asked the court to restrain any further use of his compositions without explicit permission.
When the case was heard earlier, Ilaiyaraaja’s counsel argued that the songs had been incorporated into the film without obtaining rights from him, that they had been altered, and that copyright and moral rights belonged solely to the composer. The counsel also submitted that Echo Recording Company, which previously claimed rights to Ilaiyaraaja’s works, had already been barred by earlier court orders from exploiting his songs.
The production company for Dude argued that it had obtained authorisation from Sony Music, stating that the original rights were assigned years ago by the film’s producers to Echo, and later passed on to Sony. Ilaiyaraaja’s legal team countered that any such assignment could not override the composer’s copyright and moral rights, which required his explicit consent before the songs could be used or modified for a new film.
After hearing submissions from both sides, Justice Senthilkumar initially reserved orders. When the matter was taken up again on 28 November 2025, the court ruled entirely in favour of Ilaiyaraaja. The judge held that the use of “Karutha Machaan…” without permission constituted copyright infringement and ordered that the song be removed from the film without delay. The court declined the production company’s request for a seven-day extension and instructed that the deletion be executed immediately.
The petition, which also challenged the unauthorised inclusion of “Nooru Varusham…” in the film, is part of Ilaiyaraaja’s broader effort to prevent the use of his compositions without his express approval. The High Court also directed that the production house must cease using the disputed song “in any manner.”
(Source: Daily Thanthi)
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