The Madras High Court has scheduled a hearing for January 8 regarding actor Dhanush's legal dispute with actress Nayanthara, her husband filmmaker Vignesh Shivan, and Netflix's Indian entity, Los Gatos Production Services India LLP. Dhanush, through his production company Wunderbar Films, is suing for the alleged unauthorized use of footage from his 2015 film "Naanum Rowdy Dhaan" in the Netflix documentary "Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale."
The lawsuit claims that clips from the film were used without proper permission, constituting a breach of copyright. Before filing the suit, Dhanush had issued a legal notice demanding ₹10 crore in damages for the unauthorized use of the footage.
In response, Nayanthara issued an open letter expressing her surprise at the legal action, explaining that the documentary team had sought permission to use the footage for over two years but was unable to obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Dhanush. She stated that the disputed footage amounted to just a three-second clip shot on personal devices, and that they had proceeded without it after Dhanush declined to grant permission.
The Madras High Court has directed Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, and Netflix to file their responses by the hearing date of January 8, when the case will be further examined.
