Director C.S. Amudhan has shared a statement regarding the recent legal notice sent by music maestro Ilaiyaraaja. The controversy began when Ilaiyaraaja sent a legal notice demanding ₹5 crore as compensation from the makers of the recently released film "Good Bad Ugly" for using his songs without permission. This sparked widespread debate on social media, with many discussing copyright and music licensing issues. Supporters of the film pointed out that the music was used with permission from a copyright agency, as mentioned in the censor certificate.

Reacting to the issue, director C.S. Amudhan referred to a similar situation he encountered in 2022. In the promotional video for his film "Ratham," the song "Oru Koottu Kiliaga..." composed by Ilaiyaraaja was used. Amudhan shared that they had reached out to Ilaiyaraaja’s team to get proper permission. According to him, the team responded positively and even declined payment, allowing them to use the song freely. Amudhan stated, “He only expects proper permission to be taken. We were ready to meet those expectations, and if we in the industry don't support such standards, who else will?”

To provide context, "Good Bad Ugly" is a film featuring actors Ajith and Trisha, directed by Adhik Ravichandran and produced by Mythri Movie Makers. Released on 10th of this month, the movie used popular Ilaiyaraaja tracks like “Otha Roova Tharen,” “Ilamai Itho Itho,” and “En Jodi Manja Kuruvi.” In response, Ilaiyaraaja’s lawyer, Saravanan, sent a notice to the producers demanding ₹5 crore in damages for unauthorized usage. The notice insists on removing the songs from the film and also asks for an unconditional apology within seven days.

When we contacted Raja’s team for permission to use this song our producers were more than willing to pay.

We were told by them that no payment was needed & that we could go ahead.

The man just wants to be acknowledged.

It’s the least we can do.

If we don’t stand with him… https://t.co/jEkrUQFfiD

— CS Amudhan (@csamudhan) April 15, 2025