Anil Ravipudi clarified that the use of 'Sundari Kannal' from Mani Ratnam's Thalapathy (1991), in Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu, was done after proper permissions were sought by the producers from Ilaiyaraaja.

Speaking at an event, the director said, "When an Ilaiyaraaja song is used, the opinion is always that he will file a case. But there is a process to be followed when you want to use a song composed by a legend. When we asked him for his permission, he was happy in granting it, and we completed the finer technicalities. The process should always be neat, but I can't comment on other movies that use his songs."

Anil also spoke about the scenes in which the song was used. "The song was used in the love track between Chiranjeevi garu and Nayanthara garu. Something I considered to be best in the film. It was very cute," said the director.

'Sundari Kannal' featured the vocals of SP Balasubrahmanyam and S Janaki, with lyrics by Vaalee.

Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu was released on January 12, among the multiple Sankranthi releases. The film opened to lukewarm reviews, with Chiranjeevi's performance recieving acclaimation.