Music Maestro Ilaiyaraaja has been locking horns with the Prasad studios for over a year as tensions have been brewing between the two parties over the accusation from the legendary singer that he has been humiliated by the studios, which has asked the composer to vacate its premises. Amid growing disputes, Ilaiyaraaja has now approached the Madras High Court by seeking a directive to order the studios to pay him Rs 50 lakh as compensation for ousting him from the premises.

Ilaiyaraaja and Prasad Studios are inseparable as the studio was the place from where he crafted his works and given remarkable music and contribution to the Indian cinema industry, which will be dominating the industry for more decades to come. The studio has been Ilaiyaraaja's workplace since 1976 and he had said that he had scored over 6,000 songs from this studio inside the Prasad Studios complex. 

LV Prasad, who was the founder of Prasad Studios, had provided recording room- 1 for Ilaiyaraaja in 1976 when Isaignani was under making. The room later became Ilaiyaraaja's Recording Theater, which witnessed the musician's previous work and unparalleled commitment to gift songs to the industry that are nectars that have been giving incessant inspiration and ecstasy to millions. Many of his fans used to gather before the studio to take a glimpse of the musician when he enters the studio in his Audi car.

He had a close connection with the studio until the emergence of the sudden dispute between him and the studio management. In 2019, LV Prasad's grandson Sai Prasad, who currently manages the studio, had asked the music director to vacate the studio, which had shocked him and his fans. Ilaiyaraaja had earlier said that he was threatened by the studio management to vacate the premises and the musician had voiced against Sai Prasad for the sudden expulsion. 

As the tensions between them kept brewing, Ilaiyaraaja had in August 2020 gone tough against Sai Prasad and filed a complaint against the latter by alleging that his recording room in the studio was opened and his valuable materials in the studio including the musical instruments and handwritten musical notes were damaged or sold in the black market. The musician further said that Sai Prasad threatened to cut off the water facilities, electricity, and other facilities in the theater and he also threatened to abduct the property by damaging the musical instruments and other materials in the studio. 

The reputed musician said that his personal room on the premises was broken and the materials were removed. He further stated that he came to know that Sai Prasad and his men have been removing, stealing, and damaging the articles and materials which are worth many crores. According to reports, the management had asked the musician to vacate the studio in November 2019, a month after the musician had accused the management of disrupting his work on the premises. 

After the management asked him to vacate, Ilaiyaraaja's childhood friend and most admired director Bharathiraaja intervened and held a protest against the Prasad studio's management for causing disputes for the musician. Ilayaraja had refused to vacate the studio and he has been initiating legal steps against Sai Prasad. In what has become the latest friction, Ilayaraja has now moved his petition to Madras High Court against the studio, three months after the musician had lodged a police complaint. 

He has moved his petition to seek a directive against the studio's management. In his petition, Ilayaraja has sought the directive of ordering the Prasad Studios to provide him Rs 50 lakh as compensation for ousting him from the studios. The musician has said that he had endured mental distress over the studio's decision of ousting him from the premises and requested the court to order Sai Prasad to provide compensation for what has happened to him. 

In his petition, the musician further said it's illegitimate that the studio management had ousted him without permitting him to take his musical instruments and belongings. He further asked the High Court to deter Prasad studio from interfering in his recording theater. According to reports, his petition has come to the hearing before the High Court bench headed by Justice Satishkumar and after acknowledging the petition, the High Court bench had directed to send notice to Prasad studio and ordered the management to respond back before December 17, 2020.