The ongoing legal feud between Tamil actor Dhanush and actress Nayanthara over copyright infringement has grabbed the spotlight. The Madras High Court recently dismissed Netflix’s plea to reject Dhanush’s suit against the streaming giant and Nayanthara. The suit, filed by Dhanush’s production company Wunderbar Films, accuses Nayanthara and Netflix of unauthorized use of behind-the-scenes footage from the 2015 film Naanum Rowdy Dhaan in her Netflix documentary Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale. This case has sparked discussions on intellectual property rights in the film industry.
Dhanush’s legal team claims that the footage used in the documentary belongs exclusively to Wunderbar Films as per an artist agreement signed by Nayanthara in 2014. According to this agreement, the company holds perpetual rights to any performance or footage shot on the film set. When the documentary’s trailer featured a few seconds of these visuals, Dhanush issued a legal notice demanding ₹10 crore in damages later which escalated the conflict.
However, later Nayanthara shared her side of the story through an open letter on social media. She stated that the visuals were of personal significance as Naanum Rowdy Dhaan marked the start of her relationship with her now-husband, director Vignesh Shivan. According to her, only three seconds of footage, shot on personal devices were included in the documentary making Dhanush’s reaction disproportionate. Nayanthara also accused Dhanush of holding a personal grudge and claimed she had repeatedly requested his consent for two years without success.
The High Court has now scheduled the next hearing for February 5 to address Dhanush’s plea for an injunction against using the contentious footage. With no resolution in sight, the ‘Dhanush vs Nayanthara’ case continues to capture public attention, raising critical questions about creative ownership and collaboration in the entertainment world.
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