Kasthuri Raja To Take Legal Action Over 'Unauthorised' Songs In Ajith’s ‘Good Bad Ugly’ (Image-X/Adhikravi)

Ajith Kumar’s Good Bad Ugly, the nostalgic film directed by Adhik Ravichandran, has been facing copyright strikes since its release. Followed by Ilaiyaraaja’s copyright claims, director-writer Kasthuri Raja is the latest to object to the use of three songs in Ajith’s film. The director also criticised the young creator’s lack of “innovation.”

Good Bad Ugly was considered a nostalgic tribute to the actor’s filmography, packed with prominent stars like Arjun Das, Trisha, Karthikeya Dev, Jackie Shroff, Prasanna, Prabhu, and others.

While the film is facing intense copyright strikes, Kasthuri Raja, father of Dhanush, expressed his disappointment over the rising trend of reusing old songs without proper consent.

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He also revealed that three songs – Panju Mitthai, Otha Ruba Tharen and Thootuvalai Ilai Arachifrom – from his films were used in GBU without his consent. Criticising the young directors’ reliance on nostalgia, he claimed that the current generation of filmmakers lacked originality and innovation. He said, “Unlike when stalwarts like Ilaiyaraaja and Deva created timeless music, today’s creators seem to rely on nostalgia rather than innovation.”

Kasthuri Raja emphasised that there is nothing wrong with using old songs, but obtaining proper permission is a basic ethical and legal requirement. “It’s not an issue to use old tracks, but one must seek permission from the original creators. Unfortunately, no one bothers to ask these days,” he said.

Citing these practices as disrespectful to creative work, he also confirmed his decision to initiate legal proceedings soon.

Apart from the original scores, the film also used over eight old songs like Ilamai Idho Idho, Manja Kuruvi, Oththa Roova, April Maathathil, and Thottu Thottu Pesum, among others.

Prior to Kasthuri Raja’s accusation, GBU also faced a copyright strike from veteran composer Ilaiyaraaja. By sending a legal notice to Mythri Movie Makers, Ilaiyaraaja demanded Rs 5 crore as compensation and asked the makers to remove the songs from the film.

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Producer Yalamanchili Ravi Shankar of Mythri Movie Makers, however, asserted that they have obtained the necessary authorizations from the relevant music rights organisations. He further claimed that the GBU team secured no-objection certificates (NOC) from the respective music labels, dispelling any concerns regarding the legality of their use in the film.

Produced by Mythri Movie Makers, GBU received mixed reviews yet managed to create an impressive mark at the box office. Emerging as the highest-grossing Tamil film of 2025, GBU earned around Rs 242 crores at the box office.