Kasthuri Raja to take legal action against reuse of songs in Good Bad Ugly

Director Kasthuri Raja has come out strongly against the use of the folk song 'Oththa Roova' from his 1996 film Nattupura Pattu in the recent Ajith Kumar-Adhik Ravichandran film Good Bad Ugly without proper authorisation from him, its lyricist. During the promotions for his next film in Salem, the filmmaker discussed the rising trend of the reuse of old songs with no due authorisation.

Kasthuri Raja also revealed that his songs 'Panju Mittai', 'Otha Ruba Tharen' and 'Thoothuvalai Ilai Arachi' are used in the Ajith starrer with no permission. The filmmaker rebuked the use of old songs, calling it a case of being not creative or original. Describing the works of Ilaiyaraaja and Deva as "timeless music," he said that modern-day filmmakers appear to depend too much on nostalgia instead of their own creativity. He said that if filmmakers want to use such songs, they should seek permission from their original creators as a fundamental legal and ethical requirement. Reiterating the importance of respecting original music, Kasthuri Raja added that he would sue the makers of Good Bad Ugly. Earlier, Ilaiyaraaja's legal team sent notice to Good Bad Ugly makers.