Dude makers pay Ilaiyaraaja ₹50 lakh in dispute over using his songs in Pradeep Ranganathan film

Mythri Movie Makers, the production house behind Dude, has settled a dispute with composer Ilaiyaraaja over the ‘unauthorised’ use of his songs in their film.

Film production house Mythri Movie Makers has settled a dispute with music director Ilaiyaraaja over the use of his songs in their film Dude, which released earlier this year. The veteran composer had alleged that the film used his chartbusters without his consent or knowledge.

Ilaiyaraaja had told Madras High Court he is being 'cheated' by big music labels.

Mythri Movie Makers pay Illaiyaraja ₹50 lakh

According to PTI, Mythri paid Ilaiyaraaja ₹50 lakh for using his songs Nooru Varusham and Karutha Machan in the Pradeep Ranganthan-starrer. Recording the joint memorandum of compromise, dated November 28, 2025, Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy of Madras High Court, in his recent order, closed the application.

The order states that the suit was filed to seek relief regarding the alleged copyright infringement with regards to the composer's songs. The parties entered into negotiations and concluded a settlement. On examining the joint memorandum of compromise, the judge said, “I find no legal impediment for decreeing the suit in terms thereof.”

About Dude

Dude is a Tamil-language romantic comedy-drama directed by Keerthiswaran and starring Pradeep Ranganathan and Mamitha Baiju. The film, which earned ₹100 crore at the box office, was dragged to court by Illaiyaraja over the alleged unauthorised use of his songs in the film. Dude was one of the most successful Tamil films of 2025.

All about Ilaiyaraaja

Ilaiyaraaja is one of the most celebrated and noted composers in Tamil music. The 82-year-old has composed over 8,600 songs, provided film scores for about 1,523 feature films in nine languages in a career that has spanned almost 50 years. The winner of Padma Vibhushan and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, he was the only Indian composer in American publication Taste of Cinema's list of 25 greatest film composers in the history of cinema. The composer has often spoken out against big music labels for using his compositions in films without his approval.