Actor-filmmaker Dhanush recently filed a civil suit against actor Nayanthara, her husband and filmmaker Vignesh Shivan, and their company Rowdy Pictures Private Limited. The case involves allegations of unauthorized use of behind-the-scenes footage from Dhanush’s film Naanum Rowdy Dhaan in the Netflix documentary Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairy Tale. However, Nayanthara’s lawyer, Rahul Dhawan, has stated that their clients have not breached any copyright laws. Dhawan clarified that the footage used in the documentary was sourced from Nayanthara’s personal library, not Dhanush’s Wunderbar Films Private Limited.
In an interview, Rahul Dhawan said, “Our stance is that there is no infringement or violation because the material used in the documentary is not behind-the-scenes footage from the film. It is from a personal library, making it free from copyright infringement.” He further confirmed that they have officially responded to Dhanush’s legal notice, and the next hearing at the Madras High Court is scheduled for Monday, December 2.
The dispute gained public attention after Nayanthara released an open letter accusing Dhanush of withholding a No Objection Certificate (NOC) needed to include the footage and audio from Naanum Rowdy Dhaan in the documentary. She claimed that the lack of an NOC forced last-minute edits to the film. Nayanthara also alleged that Dhanush demanded Rs 10 crore through a legal notice for the use of a three-second clip recorded on the film’s set.
