The producers of the movie Mrs & Mr, on Wednesday, July 23, told the Madras High Court that they had secured the rights to the song ‘Sivarathri Thookam Edhu’ from Echo Recording Company, the copyright holder, prior to its use in the movie. Veteran music composer Ilaiyaraaja had filed a lawsuit against the filmmakers, alleging unauthorised use of the song, which was originally featured in the hit 1990 film Michael Madana Kama Rajan, starring actor Kamal Haasan in multiple roles. He also demanded that his name be removed from the film’s credits.
The producers, Vanitha Film Productions, told the court that they had complied with Ilaiyaraaja’s request and removed his name from the credits. Their legal counsel argued that Sony Music holds the rights to over 4,850 Ilaiyaraaja compositions, including ‘Sivarathri Thookam Edhu’, and requested that Sony be impleaded as a party in the case.
In an urgent petition filed before Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy on July 11, Ilaiyaraaja’s counsel A Saravanan, claimed the song had been used without authorisation and further alleged that it had been altered without permission, amounting to copyright infringement. The composer sought an interim injunction to restrain Vanitha Film Productions and producer Jovika Vijayakumar from using the song in any form.
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 petition is the latest in a series of petitions by the legendary music composer. He had earlier sent similar injunction notices to the makers of Rajinikanth starrer Coolie (2025), Good Bad Ugly (2025), and Manjummel Boys (2024) for unauthorised use of his iconic songs.
These legal battles are part of 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.