Maestro Ilaiyaraaja has regretted use of his song in the recently released Kutti Puli without intimating or taking prior permission from him. Starring Sasikumar and Lakshmi Menon in lead roles, Kutti Puli hit the screens Statewide last week. Of late, the trend of using the Maestro’s songs and background score in films has been on the rise.
While some film-makers do inform the Maestro and take his permission before using his background score or songs in their films, most of them don’t. In Sasikumar’s super-hit Subramaniapuram too, Ilaiyaraaja’s Siru Ponmani Asaiyum.. song was used as it is for close to two minutes. Even Nadodigal and Sundarapandian, Sasikumar’s next two films, also featured some ‘bits’ of Ilaiyaraaja’s popular songs from yesteryears.
In Kutti Puli, director Muthaiah had made use of a full song by Ilaiyaraaja, scored by him more than three decades back in superstar Rajinikanth’s Kazhugu. The popular song with the lyrics Ponnoviyam Kandenamma… has been used in Kutti Puli besides many more of the Maestro’s songs in bits in various places in the film. Obviously, the fans loved all these ‘insertions’ thanks to Maestro’s everlasting music.
When asked to comment on the use of his song in the film, Ilaiyaraaja said “I was neither intimated nor asked for permission by the makers of Kutti Puli to use my song in their film…It would have been better had they sought prior permission from me.” There was an unmistakable tone of regret in his voice as the Maestro holds the rights of all the songs which have been scored by him.
