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Veteran music composer Ilaiyaraaja, on Friday, July 11, approached the Madras High Court alleging copyright violations in the newly-released Tamil film Mrs & Mr. Ilaiyaraaja has sought the removal of his song ‘Siva Rathiri Thookam Edhu’, which he says the makers of Mrs & Mr used without his permission.
‘Siva Rathiri Thookam Edhu’ is originally from the hugely popular 1990 Kamal Haasan-starrer Michael Madana Kama Rajan. Ilaiyaraaja was the music director.
According to multiple reports, in an urgent petition filed before Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy, Ilaiyaraaja’s counsel A Saravanan stated that the song had been used without authorisation in Mrs & Mr, which released on July 11. The petition also highlighted that the song had been altered without permission, further aggravating the infringement.
Ilaiyaraaja sought an interim injunction to restrain Vanitha Vijayakumar Productions and producer Jovika Vijayakumar from using the song in any form. The court agreed to hear the matter on July 14.
“This is a clear violation of my copyright and moral rights as a composer,” Ilaiyaraaja stated in his plea.
Mrs & Mr is directed by Vanitha Vijayakumar and stars her alongside Robert, Shakeela, Aarthi Ganeshkar, Srinivasan, Ambika, Sriman, and Ganeshkar. The romantic adult comedy is produced by Vanitha’s daughter Jovika, with music by Srikanth Deva.
This legal development adds to a growing list of copyright disputes involving Ilaiyaraaja. In recent years, the composer has taken legal action against several film productions including Coolie (2025), Good Bad Ugly (2025), and Manjummel Boys (2024) for unauthorised use of his iconic songs.
Earlier this year, Ilaiyaraaja sent a legal notice to the makers of Coolie, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj and starring Rajinikanth, for using the track ‘Va Va Pakkam Va’ without permission in its promotional video. He also demanded Rs 5 crore in damages from Good Bad Ugly producers for remixing his compositions.
These legal battles stem from a long-standing debate over ownership and royalty rights. In 2020, a Madras High Court order ruled that Indian Record Manufacturing Company (INRECO) held copyright to Ilaiyaraaja’s works in 30 films from the 1980s, triggering a new wave of litigation. The composer continues to challenge the order, arguing that digital rights did not exist when those contracts were signed and that his moral rights as a creator remain intact.
Ilaiyaraaja has consistently asserted his copyright over his original compositions, maintaining that film producers or recording companies cannot override his authorship.