The silence in the room is heavy. A young man, full of agony, surrounded by his family, expresses his heartbreak. He speaks of his many regrets — of fleeing his country, of having to leave his college placements behind, and of wanting to lift the financial burden off of his father’s shoulder. As everyone begins to process his pain, he delivers another news: his ex-girlfriend’s marriage. Teary-eyed, he shows a video of her dancing to what was once ‘their song’ at her wedding. His family tries to contain their laughter, thanks to comic visuals accompanying the song, but before the discomfort settles, the same song begins to play out loud. His lungi-clad younger brother jumps in and dances, shifting the mood in seconds — from grief to uncontrollable joy.
This scene from Tourist Family was received with uncontrollable laughter by the audience at the theatres in April. Ironically, the composition was not new, but a song that half the Tamil crowd forgot exists — Malaiyooru Naatama from Mambattiyan, a film that hit the big screens nearly a decade-and-a-half ago. But now, it is a trending song, that has people up on their feet, dancing, and posting reels.
With the use of this song, Tourist Family joins a growing trend in Tamil cinema: using old songs in new films. In an interview with a popular website, Mambattiyan’s director, Thiyagarajan, shared that it felt good to see a song from his film being brought back by a new-age director. He found it heartening and saw it as a sign of the song’s strong recall value.
Grooving to the tunes
For Tamil audiences, this isn’t new. In recent times, the original tracks of many yesteryear films have returned to the silver screen, namely, Jumbalaka Jumbalaka and Aasai Adhigam featured in Kaithi, Chakku Chakku in Vikram, Karu Karu Karupaayi in Leo, Thottu Thottu Pesum Sultana, Oththa Rooba, Ilamai Idho Idho, and Aaluma Doluma in Good Bad Ugly, Pottu Vecha in Lubber Panthu, and the list goes on. Director Thiagarajan Kumararaja has also used bits of old songs in his film, Super Deluxe.
What is the reason for this comeback? DJ Sparrow, official DJ of Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) and VJ for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) believes, “It’s because those songs had soul. Back then, the lyrics and the music were authentic. Now everything is electronic. Till now, Ilamai Idho Idho has been the only New Year’s Eve song; no other New Year anthem comes close.” He adds that the Gen-Z crowd is fond of the old numbers and exclaims, “It surprises me every time I visit a college. They sing along to Ilaiyaraaja and SPB by heart.”
If we take a closer look at this trend, it is regularly seen in what’s known as ‘Fanboy Sambavam films’ (films directed by the title actor’s fan). Director Lokesh Kanagaraj includes nostalgic songs in almost all of his films. Adhik Ravichandran’s Good Bad Ugly took it up a notch by including nearly ten retro references, ranging from film songs to independent albums.
“It’s like they’re bringing the gems back for people to remember,” says Evangeline Madhumitha, a media student.
Music director D Imman cautions that nostalgia. Though powerful, it can lose its magic if overused, he warns. “Generally, we like touching upon the glories of yesteryear. Over time, this practice has taken distinct formats. The human race as a whole has a habit of revisiting the past. So, when filmmakers use this nostalgic feel once in a while, it’s fine. But making it a pattern, in the long run, the audience will remember and cherish only the true and original content in a film. Even the filmmakers might give up on this if the trend is overused,” he says.
Remixed vs remastered
Up north, Bollywood is busy re-imagining the old songs to match the audience’s vibe. For every few original tracks in a Hindi film, there is always a 2.0 version going viral on Instagram. One of the well-known examples would be Choli Ke Peeche, which was originally featured in Khal Nayak (1993) and was later remixed in Crew (2024). Mukkala, originally featured in Kadhalan, even entered the Limca Book of Records as ‘The most plagiarised song in India’. The song Urvashi Urvashi from the same film has also been remixed several times. While these remixes might introduce the timeless tunes to a younger crowd, the question is whether they are bringing back the life of the song.
In Kollywood, remixes do exist, but not like their Bollywood counterpart. Remixes of songs like Inbam Pongum, Rum Bum Bum, Per Vachaalum Vaikkaama, and Paadatha Pattellam have been received well but aren’t celebrated the same way the originals were. But steering away from the trend of remixes are today’s filmmakers, who are opting to bring back the original versions, remastered if necessary.
Social media also boosts this growing trend as its influencers use these songs as ‘trending’ or ‘viral’ audios. However, it has not always been meaningful. “I think music is now made to trend on social media platforms rather than to suit the film’s story,” says Nivedhitha R, a recent graduate. “That’s why people are not connecting to new songs. So filmmakers pull out old ones to bring back emotion.”
Poushali Pammi, an up-and-coming content creator, is one among many who has a complicated relationship with this trend. “These songs resonate with my childhood. I remember my mother listening to these songs. When I see them being used just to go viral, it feels like they lose their soul,” she says. “If I’m walking through the streets of my locality in the rain and I use Pudhu Vellai Mazhai, that tells a story. But if the same song is forced into a dance reel for virality, it just hurts.”
While some feel this trend milks out the song completely, others say it opens a gateway. Evangeline notes that old songs aren’t disliked by people, but they simply need to be reintroduced for audiences to appreciate them. Varshini Varadharajan, an influencer, agrees. “Old songs bring an old, aesthetic vibe to my content. If the song is already trending, it definitely boosts reach.”
Copyright battles
Behind all this lies a practical question that the music directors of the newly released films and these old songs keep addressing: copyright. Indian copyright law mandates acquiring rights before a song can be reused in films. This isn’t as straightforward as it sounds in this case, as rights might be split between multiple parties — production house, music label, depending on the contract. Imman says, “The audience has a misconception about the concept of copyright. Audio labels hold rights to the tracks produced by a music composer. I, as a music director, can hold only the perpetual rights, as they are working for a producer who sells the rights to the music label.” He adds that even the producer doesn’t have a say in issuing copyright violations unless there is a shared royalty contract between the producer and the music label.
Although directors like Thiyagarajan have not expressed any intention of suing filmmakers for copyrights, it is well within the purview of original creators to retain their right to pursue legal action. Sharing his thoughts on this, Divesh J, a graduate and a percussionist, deems it important for music directors to acquire copyright. “One cannot simply use someone else’s work. What about the original artiste’s hard work?”
Music, old or new, will continue to have fans. But does this trend present itself as an easier road to take when composers hit a creative block?, is the question that composers should reflect on.