Dhanush Sues Nayanthara, Vignesh Sivan Over Netflix Documentary 'Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairytale'

Dhanush Files Lawsuit Against Nayanthara Over Netflix Documentary: Actor Dhanush has taken legal action against actress Nayanthara, her husband and director Vignesh Sivan, and their production house, Rowdy Pictures Private Limited, accusing them of using visuals from his film Naanum Rowdy Dhaan without permission in her Netflix documentary Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale. The civil suit, filed by Dhanush's Wunderbar Films Private Limited, was submitted to Madras High Court.

According to a report by The Hindu, the lawsuit also includes Netflix's Mumbai-based Los Gatos Production Services India LLP. Wunderbar Films requested the court's approval under Clause 12 of the Letters Patent to bring the company within the jurisdiction of the Madras High Court. The case was listed for hearing on November 27, 2024, before Justice Abdul Quddhose. Senior counsel P.S. Raman represented Wunderbar Films, while senior counsels Sathish Parasaran and R. Parthasarathy appeared for Nayanthara and Netflix. After hearing arguments, the judge granted permission, enabling the case to proceed without commenting on its merits.

What Sparked the Legal Dispute?

The legal dispute surfaced days before the documentary's release on November 18. On November 16, Nayanthara shared an open letter on her X account, alleging that she had repeatedly sought a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from Wunderbar Films for over two years. She stated that the NOC was needed to include songs, visual clips, and photographs from Naanum Rowdy Dhaan in the documentary, as it was during the film's production that her relationship with Vignesh Sivan began. Despite her repeated attempts, she alleged that Dhanush failed to issue the NOC.

Nayanthara also expressed shock over a ₹10 crore damages claim made by Dhanush following the trailer release, in which, according to her, only three seconds of behind-the-scenes footage shot with personal devices were used. She alleged that Dhanush's actions were motivated by a personal grudge against her and her husband.

The court proceedings mark a significant turn in the controversy surrounding the documentary, with both sides gearing up for further legal arguments.