Following actress Nayanthara's open letter to Dhanush accusing him of not allowing the actress to use BTS footage of the film ‘Naanum Rowdy Dhaan’ in her Netflix documentary ‘Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale’, Dhanush’s legal team has responded with a firm warning. Dhanush’s lawyer has demanded the immediate removal of the controversial footage, or they will pursue legal action, including seeking compensation amounting to Rs 10 crore.
The conflict revolves around a brief three-second clip from the 2015 film ‘Naanum Rowdy Dhaan’, produced by Dhanush, which appears in the trailer of Nayanthara’s documentary. Dhanush’s legal representative has demanded that the content be taken down within 24 hours, threatening to take further action if their demands are not met.
Dhanush's lawyer's statement
The statement issued by Dhanush’s lawyer reads, “Advise your client to take down the content infringing my client’s copyright over the film Naanum Rowdy Dhaan by using the same in your client’s documentary named Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale within 24 hours. Failure to do so will compel my client to take appropriate legal action, including, but not limited to, seeking damages to the sum of Rs. 10 crores from your client and Netflix India.”
The actor’s legal team also dismissed Nayanthara’s explanation that the footage in question was simply behind-the-scenes (BTS) content captured on personal phones. The statement further clarifies, “My client is the producer of the film and is fully aware of every penny spent on its production. Your client’s assertion that my client did not authorise anyone to film behind-the-scenes footage is unfounded. Your client must provide strict proof of this claim.”
Also read: Nayanthara Once Did This Song For Free For Dhanush's Movie: 'You Are My Friend, I'll Do It For You'
What Nayanthara said
This legal standoff came after Nayanthara took to Instagram on November 16 to express her displeasure over Dhanush’s actions. In an open letter, she criticised him for allegedly "stooping to an all-time low" with his demand for Rs 10 crore, particularly for a mere three-second clip that she claimed had already been publicly shared on social media.
Nayanthara wrote, “What’s even more shocking is your legal notice after the release of the trailer of the Netflix Documentary. We were startled to read those lines wherein you questioned the usage of some videos (just 3 seconds) which were shot on our personal devices and that too BTS visuals that are already very much publicly present on social media and claimed a sum of Rs.10 crores as damages for the mere 3 seconds. This is an all-time low from you and speaks so much about your character. I wish you were half the person you portray to be on stage in audio launches in front of your innocent fans but clearly you do not practice what you preach, at least not for me and my partner.”
Also read: When Nayanthara And Vignesh Shivan Shared How Dhanush Unintentionally Played Cupid For Them
'Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale' is currently streaming on Netflix.