Thiagarajan Reacts to Song Use in ‘Tourist Family’: “I Should Be Paying Them!”
June 6, 2025 Published by indiaglitzcom
The film Tourist Family has turned out to be a blockbuster, grossing over ?75 crores at the box office and continuing to gain popularity on Disney+ Hotstar. Amid the film’s success, a nostalgic track has sparked fresh conversation—this time involving veteran filmmaker Thiagarajan.
The film features the iconic song “Malaiyuru Nattamaai” from Malaiyur Mampattiyan, which was directed by Thiagarajan. With the song now going viral once again, Thiagarajan shared his thoughts in a recent interview.
“The filmmakers didn’t take my permission to use the song,” he said. “But I’m not going to take legal action or demand payment. In fact, I should be the one paying them! They’ve revived a forgotten gem and brought it back to the people, and that makes me genuinely happy. I have no intention of claiming copyrights.”
Thiagarajan went on to say that anyone using songs from his films in the future will face no copyright issues from him. His gracious response stands in contrast to recent incidents in the industry, notably Ilaiyaraaja’s legal notice regarding unauthorized use of his music in Good Bad Ugly.
Fans have lauded Thiagarajan’s open-hearted approach and respect for art over ownership, calling it a refreshing stance in today’s copyright-conscious industry.
