Festering vengeance: Nayanthara blasts Dhanush over legal notice, pens open letter

In an uninhibited open letter, Nayanthara accused actor-producer Dhanish of sabotaging her forthcoming Netflix documentary and holding a “personal grudge” against her and her partner

Tamil star Nayanthara has accused actor-producer Dhanush of ‘festering vengeance’ against her forthcoming Netflix documentary, after the latter send a legal notice for the use of certain unauthorised clips in the film.

The Netflix docu-drama, Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale, set to stream from November 18, offers a peek into Nayanthara’s professional and personal journey, including her marriage to film director Vignesh Shivan. The documentary features accounts from friends and colleagues, including Rana Daggubatti, Taapsee Pannu Nagarjuna Akkineni and others, and is peppered with visuals and highlights from her iconic films.

In a strongly-worded open letter posted on social media, Nayanthara blasted Dhanush for refusing permission for the use of songs and visuals from Naanum Rowdy Dhaan, a 2010 romantic comedy starring Nayanthara and Vijay Sethupathi and produced by Dhanush’s Wunderbar Films. The film was directed by Shivan.

She asked Dhanush if his decision was informed by a “personal grudge” and not just business and monetary compulsions.

According to Nayanthara, after the documentary’s trailer premiered, Dhanush sent a legal notice to claiming Rs. 10 crore for the use of second clips shot on personal devices from the 10-year-old film. She described the move as an “all-time low” for Dhanush, a former friend, questioning his morality and public persona.

“Does a Producer become an Emperor controlling the lives, freedom and liberty of all the persons in the set? Any deviation from the Emperor’s dictum attracts legal ramifications?,” Nayanthara wrote in the 3-page public statement.

She said that while she will respond to Dhanush’s notice through legal means, she wanted to highlight the “moral side” to their conflict, “which has to be defended in the court of God.”