Ajith Kumar's Blockbuster Good Bad Ugly Axed From Netflix Over Ilaiyaraaja's Song Copyright Dispute

After Manjummel Boys and Coolie, music maestro Ilaiyaraaja has now reportedly taken Ajith Kumar-starrer Good Bad Ugly to the courts. The movie premiered in cinemas on April 10, and began streaming on Netflix on May 8 after a successful run at the box office. However, it has been reported that Adhik Ravichandran’s movie has now been removed from Netflix after a court order. The removal comes following the ongoing copyright dispute over the unauthorised use of Ilaiyaraaja’s songs in the movie.

Good Bad Ugly movie removed from Netflix - Here’s why

Ajith Kumar's film 'Good Bad Ugly' is no longer available for streaming on Netflix after a court order over the unauthorised use of Ilaiyaraaja's songs. Justice N Senthilkumar ruled that the producers could not exhibit the film with tracks composed by Ilaiyaraaja.

The takedown followed copyright infringement concerns. Ilaiyaraaja objected to the use of his songs, including Ottha Ruba Tharen, En Jodi Manja Kuruvi, and Ilamai Idho Idho. He demanded ₹5 crore and a written apology from the filmmakers before taking the matter to court.

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Ilaiyaraaja filed a copyright infringement case against the production house for using his popular songs without proper authorisation or royalty payments.

On September 8, the Madras High Court issued a temporary injunction preventing Mythri Movie Makers, the producers of Ajith Kumar’s Good Bad Ugly, from exhibiting, screening, distributing, or broadcasting the film with three songs composed by Ilaiyaraaja. Following the order, Netflix removed the film from its platform.

The songs in question, Ottha Ruba Tharen, En Jodi Manja Kuruvi, and Ilamai Idho Idho, are regarded as Tamil music classics. Their unauthorised use has reignited debates over copyright and creative ownership in Indian cinema.

This is not the first time Ilaiyaraaja has taken legal action over unauthorised song usage. Earlier, he sent legal notices to the makers of Manjummel Boys and Coolie, among others.