Big Feud: Nayanthara Vs Dhanush Lawsuit
India-West News Desk
MUMBAI – Actor Nayanthara has openly criticized Dhanush for allegedly obstructing the use of footage from their film Naanum Rowdy Dhaan in her Netflix wedding documentary, Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale. The actress issued a strongly-worded letter on November 16, accusing Dhanush of demanding Rs.10 crore for a three-second snippet of songs from the film and claimed he harbored a personal grudge against her and her husband, filmmaker Vignesh Shivan.
In her letter, Nayanthara wrote, “A well-established actor like you, with the support and blessings of your father and your brother, an ace director, needs to read and understand this. Cinema, as we all know, is a fight for survival for people like me: a self-made woman with no links in the industry and someone who had to struggle my way to the position I hold today. I owe this to my work ethic and the goodwill of the audience and my film fraternity.”
Vignesh Shivan stepped in to defend his wife, sharing an old video of Dhanush speaking about positivity at the 2017 audio launch of Sakka Podu Podu Raja. In the clip, Dhanush said, “The love we have for one should not turn into hate for another… If you don’t like somebody, just move on.” Shivan captioned the post with a pointed remark: “Vaazhu Vaazha udu. #spreadLove #OmNamaShivaya at least for the sake of some innocent diehard fans who believe all of this!”
The controversy intensified when Dhanush’s legal team issued a statement demanding the removal of the alleged infringing content within 24 hours. The statement threatened legal action, including damages of ₹10 crore, against Nayanthara and Netflix India.
Dhanush’s lawyer also refuted Nayanthara’s claims that the disputed footage was behind-the-scenes material shot on personal phones. The statement argued, “My client is the producer of the film and knows where every penny was spent. Your client’s statement that my client did not commission behind-the-scenes footage is baseless.”
Naanum Rowdy Dhaan, directed by Vignesh Shivan and produced by Dhanush under his banner Wunderbar Films in 2015, starred Nayanthara opposite Vijay Sethupathi. While the exact details of the dispute remain unclear, the public spat has sparked significant discussion within the film industry.
