Court Rules in Favor of Music label: Ilaiyaraaja Has No Rights

The upcoming film Agathiya, directed by renowned lyricist Pa. Vijay, stars Jiiva, Raashi Khanna, Arjun, and others, with music composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja. Scheduled for release on February 28, the film features a remix of the classic song “En Iniya Pon Nilave” from the movie ‘Moodu Pani’, originally composed by Ilaiyaraaja.

However, the music rights company Saregama Audio filed a lawsuit against the film’s production house, Vels Film International, in the Delhi High Court, alleging unauthorized use of the song, which they claim exclusive rights to.

After reviewing the case, the court ruled that Agathiya could include the song only if the production company paid ?30 lakh as compensation. The court also clarified that the rights to the song belong solely to Saregama and not to its original composer, Ilaiyaraaja.

Vels Film International had argued that they obtained the rights from Ilaiyaraaja himself, but after assessing evidence from both parties, the court upheld Saregama’s claim.