Actor Vanitha Vijaykumar and choreographer Robert’s latest film Mrs & Mr, which released in theatres this Friday, has run into legal trouble. The controversy stems from the alleged unauthorized use of a song composed by legendary music maestro Ilaiyaraaja.
The film is said to have included the song Siva Rathiri from Kamal Haasan’s 1990 classic Michael Madana Kama Rajan without obtaining proper permission. The original track, a duet featuring Kamal Haasan and Rupini, was composed by Ilaiyaraaja. According to reports, the veteran composer’s legal team has filed a petition in the Chennai High Court, demanding the removal of the song from Mrs & Mr.
Ilaiyaraaja’s legal team has filed a civil suit, claiming that the song he originally composed was used in Mrs & Mr without his consent and has also been modified. In the petition, the composer argued that this act constitutes copyright infringement and has urged the court to order the immediate removal of the song from the film.
Advocate A. Saravanan, representing Ilaiyaraaja, submitted an appeal before Judge Senthil Kumar Ramamoorthy, requesting that the case be treated as an urgent matter. According to reports, the judge acknowledged the appeal and agreed to hear the case on Monday.
Mrs and Mr is a romantic adult comedy featuring a supporting cast that includes Shakeela, Aarthi Ganeshkar, Srinivasan, Ambika, Sriman, and Ganeshkar. The film is produced by Vanitha Vijaykumar’s daughter, Jovika Vijayakumar. Vanitha also takes on the role of director, with D. G. Kapil handling cinematography, Bala Guru in charge of editing, and music composed by Srikanth Deva. The film released in theatres alongside Oho Enthan Baby and Desingu Raja 2.
It is known that the composer’s legal team has issued legal notices to the makers of Good Bad Ugly, Coolie, Manjummel Boys, and several other films for using his songs without obtaining proper permission.
Source: Cinema Express
