The Legal Battle Behind Manjummel Boys: Ilaiyaraaja’s Copyright Dispute Resolved

The Malayalam movie Manjummel Boys gained attention not only for its commercial success but also due to a legal dispute involving esteemed music director Ilaiyaraaja. He had accused the filmmakers of copyright infringement related to one of his songs and requested 2 crore as compensation. However, it seems that an agreement has now been reached between the two parties. Reports suggest that the producers of Manjummel Boys have paid the music director 160 lakhs to resolve the issue. Ilaiyaraaja’s complaint centered on his well-known song ‘Kanmani Anbodu Kadhalan’ from Guna, which was allegedly used without his consent. He argued that the song contributed to the film’s popularity and sought reparation from the filmmakers. While facing criticism for resorting to legal action instead of supporting emerging talent, the industry defended the importance of respecting intellectual property rights to prevent setting a detrimental precedent.