The Madras High Court has directed Tarc Studios, the makers of actress Nayanthara's documentary, to file its response in a case alleging unauthorised use of clips from the Tamil blockbuster Chandramukhi.
Nayanthara-Beyond the Fairy Tale, produced by Tarc Studios, was released on Netflix in November 2024. Soon after its release, actor Dhanush's Wunderbar Films filed a case against the makers, alleging that scenes from his film Naanum Rowdy Dhaan had been used without consent, and sought damages of Rs 1 crore. That case is still pending.
In a fresh case, AB International, the copyright holder of Chandramukhi, has accused the documentary team of including portions from the Rajinikanth-Jyothika starrer without permission. Nayanthara also starred in the 2005 film in a key role.
AB International, the petitioner, argued that despite serving a legal notice demanding removal of the clips and claiming Rs 5 crore in damages, the documentary continues to stream with the disputed content.
The petition sought a court order to restrain Tarc Studios from using Chandramukhi footage, remove the clips from the documentary, and direct the makers to submit accounts of profits earned through the film's streaming.
When the case came up before Justice Senthilkumar, counsel for Tarc Studios said negotiations were underway to resolve the dispute. However, the petitioner's side denied any such talks and pointed out that no formal counter-affidavit had been filed so far.
The court has now granted Tarc Studios time until October 6 to file its reply and adjourned further hearing to that date.
In November 2024, Nayanthara shared an open letter for Dhanush on her Instagram handle.
In the detailed letter, she slammed Dhanush for stooping to an "all-time low".
"What's even more shocking is your legal notice after the release of the trailer of the Netflix Documentary... This is an all time low from you and speaks so much about your character. I wish you were half the person you portray to be on stage in audio launches in front of your innocent fans but clearly you do not practice what you preach, at least not for me and my partner," she wrote.
Naanum Rowdy Dhaan featured Dhanush and Nayanthara. The 2015 Tamil film was directed by Vignesh Sivan, who is now her husband, and produced by Dhanush.
