05 December,2025 04:36 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Ilaiyaraaja and Pradeep Ranganathan in Dude
Mythri Movie Makers, Pradeep Ranganathan-starrer Dude, have decided to sttle a copyright dispute with veteran composer Ilaiyaraaja. The production house has agreed to compensate the musician Rs 50 lakh for using his work in the film without permission. Following the settlement recorded by Madras High Court, the matter was formally closed.
According to a PTI report, the settlement was presented to Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy, who accepted the joint memorandum dated November 28, 2025. The judge, while closing the case, noted, "I find no legal impediment for decreeing the suit in terms thereof."
Notably, the latest agreement comes after a similar previous conflict between the composer and the same production house over Ajith Kumar's Good Bad Ugly. In the earlier case, Ilaiyaraaja had secured an order that led to streaming platforms removing his songs from the film's Netflix release.
The issue started after the makers included Ilaiyaraaja's popular tracks Nooru Varusham and Karutha Machan in the film without the composer's approval. Karutha Machan was originally created for Bharathiraja's Pudhu Nellu Pudhu Naathu (1991); however, it was featured in a wedding sequence in Dude, prompting Ilaiyaraaja to take legal action alleging copyright infringement.
The dispute extended beyond India after Ilaiyaraaja filed proceedings in the United States against Sony Music Entertainment India, Echo Recording Company, and Oriental Records. He accused them of unauthorised use of Karutha Machan. The music composer's team claimed a lack of response from Sony Music even as the film continues to run with the song.
The track is used in a comedic interval sequence performed by Pradeep Ranganathan and Mamitha Baiju. Ilaiyaraaja had previously raised objections to Mythri Movie Makers for allegedly incorporating several of his classic compositions in Good Bad Ugly too without permission, including Otha Rubayum Tharen, Ilamai Idho Idho, and En Jodi Manja Kuruvi.
Dude emerged as one of Tamil cinema's biggest hits of 2025 when it released and went on to earn around Rs 100 crore at the box office. The romantic comedy-drama is helmed by Keerthiswaran, marking Pradeep Ranganathan's return. Meanwhile, the 82-year-old composer remains one of the most influential figures in Indian film music.
