Chennai: Actor Dhanush K. Raja, through his production company Wunderbar Films Private Limited, has filed a civil suit in the Madras High Court against actor Nayanthara Kurian, her director-husband Vignesh Sivan, and their production company Rowdy Pictures Private Limited. The dispute arises over the use of visuals from the Tamil film Naanum Rowdy Dhaan in the Netflix docu-drama Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale.
The petition also includes a request to bring in Los Gatos Production Services India LLP, the Netflix entity operating in India, as a defendant in the case. Wunderbar Films has sought permission from the High Court to add Netflix to the suit, citing that the company, through its Indian arm, has jurisdiction in Mumbai. The application for leave was filed under clause 12 of the Letters Patent, which governs the jurisdiction of the Madras High Court in such matters.
The matter was heard before Justice Abdul Quddhose on November 27, 2024. Senior counsel P.S. Raman, representing Dhanush, argued for granting leave to sue Netflix alongside Nayanthara and her associates. However, Netflix’s legal counsel, led by senior counsels Sathish Parasaran and R. Parthasarathy, opposed the application. After hearing the arguments, Justice Quddhose granted the application to sue Netflix, taking into account that key parties to the dispute are located within the Madras High Court’s jurisdiction.
The issue first came to public attention just before the release of the docu-drama on November 18, 2024. Nayanthara had publicly addressed a letter to Dhanush on November 16, in which she stated that she had requested a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from Wunderbar Films to use certain songs, visuals, and photographs from Naanum Rowdy Dhaan. According to Nayanthara, the content was crucial as it highlighted key moments from the film, during which her relationship with Vignesh Sivan developed. Despite multiple requests over two years, Nayanthara claimed that no NOC was provided.
In her open letter, Nayanthara accused Dhanush of holding a personal grudge against her and her husband. She also revealed her shock at receiving a legal notice from Dhanush seeking ₹10 crore in damages after the release of the docu-drama trailer, in which only three seconds of behind-the-scenes footage from the Naanum Rowdy Dhaan set, shot with personal devices, were used.
The case is ongoing, with the Madras High Court granting leave to proceed with the civil suit against Netflix, Nayanthara, and her associates. The court’s decision to allow the addition of Netflix to the case could have wider implications for the entertainment industry, particularly around the use of copyrighted content in streaming platforms and docu-dramas.
The matter is expected to be closely watched as it could set a significant precedent for similar copyright and intellectual property disputes in the Indian entertainment and digital streaming sectors.
