Have legally obtained rights: Manjummel Boys producer replies to Ilayaraja

 The Malayalam movie Manjummel Boys, directed by Chidambaram, was a major hit this year. The film featured the song Kanmani Anbodu Kadhalan from the movie Gunaa, which has now led to legal issues for the filmmakers. On May 22, Ilaiyaraaja issued a legal notice to the producers of Manjummel Boys regarding the unauthorized use of the song Kanmani Anbodu from the Kamal Haasan movie Gunaa. The song appears in the film's title credits and at a key moment involving the rescue of a character from a gang.

Ilaiyaraaja's notice highlights that he holds exclusive rights to his music, requiring producers to obtain permission or a license from him. Additionally, the notice stated that merely crediting him in the title card is insufficient.

 However, Manjummel boys film's producer Shawn Antony finally responded to the issue. Shawan, one of the film's producers, stated that they had obtained the rights to the song from two music companies that own the copyright.

It is important to note that Ilaiyaraaja has previously made similar legal claims regarding the use of his music in other films. In those cases, courts have typically ruled that movies can use the music if they have acquired rights from the music company, reinforcing that the composer does not have exclusive control over the songs.

 Manjummel Boys, directed by Chidambaram, is a Malayalam survival thriller. The film boasts an ensemble cast, including Soubin Shahir, Sreenath Bhasi, Balu Varghese, Ganapathi S. Poduval, Lal Jr., Deepak Parambol, Abhiram Radhakrishnan, Arun Kurian, and Khalid Rahman, among others.

The movie is based on a real-life event that occurred in 2006 in Kodaikanal. It follows a group of friends from Manjummel who go on a vacation to the infamous Gunaa Caves, also known as Devil's Kitchen. During their visit, one of their friends gets trapped inside the cave, and the group must work together to rescue him despite the challenges and the belief that it is an impossible task.