Ilaiyaraaja Issues Legal Notice to ‘Manjummel Boys’ Team over the Unauthorised Use of His Song, Kanmani Anbodu Kaadhalan

The Malayalam movie “Manjummel Boys”, starring celebrated actors Soubin Shahir and Shreenath Bhasi was released in February 2024. The film quickly rose to acclamation and became a fan favourite only to find itself in legal trouble, earlier this week.

Famous Tamil music composer, R Ilaiyaraaja has sent a legal notice to the film’s team over the unauthorised use of his song ‘Kanmani Anbodu Kaadhalan’, featured in the 1991 Tamil flick Guna.

It has been reported that the Kamal Hassan starrer song ‘Kanmani Anbodu Kaadhalan’ was unethically used in Manjummel Boys without the proper consent, permission, or license of the music composer.

Although the film, Manjummel Boys acknowledged the song in its title cards, Ilaiyaraaja’s legal team stated, “the same or any underlying gesture cannot be a substitute for our client’s permission/license/content for such usage.”

Since the usage of ‘Kanmani Anbodu Kaadhalan’ in the film was unauthorized, Ilaiyaraaja’s legal team has asked the producers of Manjummel Boys to either take the official permission of the composer or to remove the song from the movie in addition to paying compensation for unethical use.

The notice further elucidated that if the producers of the movie, Soubhin Shahir, Babu Shahir, and Shawn Antony, failed to meet either of the two options, civil and criminal proceedings would be taken against them.

Manjummel Boys is an intense thriller cum adventure film. It revolves around a group of 11 friends who go on a trip to Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu. Their eccentric behaviour causes them to make a reckless decision to enter a restricted area of a tourist site- the Guna caves.

While venturing into the cave, Subhash, played by Sreenath Bhasi, accidentally falls into a pit that is estimated to be around 900 feet deep. A pit that no one has been ever brought back from.

Manjummel Boys beautifully encapsulates the emotions of friendship and resilience with the portrayal of Subhash’s rescue by his friends.

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