Ilaiyaraaja issues notice to makers of 'Manjummel Boys' for unauthorised use of 'Gunaa' song
Chennai, May 23: Malayalam 'Manjummel Boys' is the latest to receive a legal notice by legendary music director Ilaiyaraaja for unauthorised use of his hit song, 'Kanmani Anbodu' from the film 'Gunaa'.
A sleeper hit, 'Manjummel Boys', produced by Soubin and Babu Shahir, and Shawn Anthony under Parava Films, is based on a true incident that occurred in the 'Guna' caves in Kodaikanal in 2006. It has been received exceptionally well in Tamil Nadu, as well as globally.
Originally called The Devil's Kitchen, the caves were notorious for many accidents that led to the disappearance of people with no trace. After the release of 'Gunaa', the Tamil film featuring Kamal Haasan in 1991, which was shot there, the caves were referred to as Guna caves and became more popular among tourists.
'Manjummel Boys' traces the story of one such bunch of inebriated tourists from Kochi, fans of the film ‘Gunaa'. Their holiday turns nightmarish when one of the boys falls into the cave. The film ends with the song, 'Kanmani Anbodu', in what is referred to by many as a tribute to the cult status of the song and the film.
Whether it is a tribute or not, when a song by someone is used in another film, it has to follow legal procedures and permission must be sought," said Illaiyaraaja's legal counsel Saravanan Annadurai to PTI.
The notice stated that "it is a settled position of law that where a person is using such original musical works for commercial benefit, exploitation and other business gains, such person is legally obliged and bound to acquire necessary and appropriate permission/license from the author/owner…"
"In this case, the owner of the song is Ilaiyaraaja and ‘Majummel Boys' used his song without his consent or any payment of royalty or license fee," added Annadurai.
The notice calls upon the producers to either obtain proper permission to continue using the song in the film, or remove the song within 15 days of receiving the notice. "If they fail to do so, we will seek remedy under the Copyright Act 1957," said Annadurai.
On May 2, Ilaiyaraaja, a Padma Vibhushan recipient, had also issued a notice to the yet-to-release film, ‘Coolie' starring Rajinikanth, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. The film, produced by Sun Pictures, had used a refrain from yet another hit of Ilaiyaraaja, ‘Va Va Pakkam Va' from 1983 Tamil film 'Thanga Magan', which, incidentally, also features Rajinikanth, in its teaser.
"There's a history of exploitation, many others have also used his songs without proper permission, so yes, they are also being issued notices," said Annadurai.
Despite trying, PTI could not reach out to producers of ‘Manjummel Boys' for comments.
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EU summit will focus on Iran war, loan to Ukraine blocked by Hungary
Brussels (AP): European Union leaders are holding a summit in Brussels on Thursday for talks on the Iran war, energy prices, migration and an enormous loan for war-ravaged Ukraine being held up by Hungary.
Many of those leaders have deflected entreaties by US President Donald Trump to send military assets to secure the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for the global flow of oil, gas and fertiliser.
Rising energy prices because of the war and fears in Europe of a new refugee crisis have pushed leaders to make the Middle East one of the top priorities at the summit.
The European Commission, the EU's executive branch, has floated the idea of a “toolbox” of measures to lower energy prices for leaders to discuss because no single policy will work across the myriad markets in the 27-nation bloc to blunt economic shocks from the war, according to a senior European diplomat who wasn't authorised to be publicly named so spoke on condition of anonymity.
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The summit will also focus on a long-brewing standoff between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and most other EU nations.
The last EU summit was held in December at a Belgian castle, where the leaders including Orban agreed to a 90 billion-euro (USD 104 billion) loan for Ukraine for help overcoming a budget shortfall in the country as it grapples with a grinding war with Russia.
But a month later, Orban backtracked after the Druzhba oil pipeline was disabled in January after what Ukrainian officials said was a Russian drone attack.
The pro-Russia leader, who has held office in Hungary since 2010, is running an aggressive media campaign villainising both Brussels and Kyiv as he seeks reelection next month.
“If there is no oil, there is no money,” Orban said in a social media post on Tuesday.
To get Ukraine the much-needed loan, EU leaders and diplomats will lobby Orban and Slovakia's prime minister, Robert Fico, whose government has also taken pro-Russia stances.
On Tuesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen offered for the EU to pay to repair the Druzhba pipeline and the development of alternative fuel lines for Hungary and Slovakia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that any obstruction to the loan is “absolutely unfair” and that there is “no alternative” for the embattled nation than those funds as it faces a severe budget crisis because of the war, which began on February 24, 2022.
“There may be alternatives in terms of financing mechanisms, but there is simply no alternative to strengthening our army,” Zelenksyy said on Wednesday.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told lawmakers in Berlin on Wednesday that the EU must swiftly reach an agreement on the 20th package of sanctions against Russia and the loan.
He said that he would “advocate for that emphatically” in Brussels and that “we must not take into consideration a single country in the European Union that is currently setting up this blockade in Europe now for domestic political reasons and because of an election campaign that is being conducted there.”
Merz said, in urging for more sanctions, that “the needs of the moment call for us to increase the pressure on Moscow together – the US and the European partners together."
