Nayanthara Breaks Silence On Legal Dispute With Dhanush Over BTS Clips: I Felt Compelled To Speak Out

Nayanthara Breaks Silence on Legal Dispute with Dhanush: Nayanthara, one of South Indian cinema's leading stars, has opened up about the ongoing legal battle with actor and producer Dhanush over the use of behind-the-scenes (BTS) footage from the 2015 film Naanum Rowdy Dhaan in her Netflix documentary Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale, as well as her open letter criticizing Dhanush's actions. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Nayanthara shared her side of the story, detailing the efforts she and her husband, director Vignesh Shivan, made to secure rights to a small but meaningful segment from the film.

"To straight away answer your question, why should I be scared of doing something that I feel is right? I feel scared only if I am doing something wrong," she said, addressing the controversy head-on.

The issue began when Dhanush, the producer of Naanum Rowdy Dhaan, declined to issue a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the use of specific lines from the film, written by Vignesh Shivan. Nayanthara explained, "There were a number of calls that Vignesh made to his [Dhanush's] manager. We also reached out to many friends who are close to him, but none of that worked. All we wanted was to use four lines that Vignesh had written in the film, which were deeply personal to us. That was the only thing we genuinely sought in the film, as those four lines encapsulated our life. I honestly believed he would be the first person to agree because he had been a friend. It's not as though we were born enemies or anything. We have always been really good friends. I don't know where and how things changed over the past ten years. I don't want to delve into that-he might have his own reasons, and I might have mine."

Despite their repeated attempts to connect and clear up misunderstandings, Nayanthara said the efforts were futile. "I even told his manager it's okay if you don't give the NOC. It's his space, his rights, and that's absolutely fine. But I just wanted a phone call with him-to understand what the issue is, why he's so angry with us, or whether this anger is even real or something others around him are creating. If there's a misunderstanding, can we clear it?"

The situation escalated when the trailer of her Netflix documentary was released, and BTS footage shot on her personal phone came under scrutiny. Nayanthara clarified, "People don't understand that BTS footage is only a part of a contract now. This was 10 years ago. These were random videos taken on our phones and by the crew. It wasn't official footage."

In a heartfelt conclusion, she remarked on the fairness of the situation. "For a personality like him, who is such a talented actor and is deeply respected and loved by so many people-and we share the same love and respect for him-it felt unfair when something like this happened, and I felt compelled to speak out."

Nayanthara emphasized that she doesn't engage in public disputes lightly. "I am not someone who wants to tarnish someone's image just for the sake of publicity. PR wasn't our intention at all," she asserted.

The legal battle, which has drawn significant attention, is still going on.