‘Kolaveri Di’ might have become the top song of 2011, but the man behind this ‘soup song’ hasn’t become overnight rich. Apparently, Dhanush sold the rights for ‘Kolaveri Di’ to Sony Music for a trifling. And now when there are numerous versions of the hit number, Dhanush’s family and friends are upset at his paltry income from the deal. In fact, Dhanush has no legal right to curb bootleg versions of ‘Kolaveri’ that are doing rounds on the Internet.
Talking to a daily, the actor-turned-singer said, “I can’t release any version of ‘Kolaveri’ without Sony’s approval. And I’ll have to share every version of the song with them. So essentially I’ll get paid only for my singing. Like the Tamil version, the Hindi version of ‘Kolaveri’ is with Sony Music. There’s nothing I can do about it.”
When questioned why he didn’t retain the legal rights for the song, Dhanush answered: “Who knew the song would go so far? But it’s okay. I don’t regret it. I am content with what I’ve got from this song. And what I’ve got is priceless.” Interestingly, AR Rahman praised Dhanush, referring to him as the Aamir Khan of the South. Responding to Rahman’s compliments, Dhanush added, “Coming from him, it’s a great honour. I’d love to work with him.”
