All-time low, speaks about your character: Nayanthara hits out at Dhanush over legal notice

CHENNAI: In an all-out attack seldom seen in the film industry – and almost never in Tamil cinema – actor Nayanthara issued a three-page open letter addressed to fellow actor Dhanush for the legal notice that he sent against the Netflix documentary 'Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairy Tale'.

At the heart of the squabble between the two is apparently Dhanush’s refusal to allow her to use the songs and visuals, or even photographs, from ‘Naanum Rowdy Dhaan’. It may be noted that Dhanush was the producer of the film that was helmed by Vignesh Shivan, with whom she fell in love on the sets of the film and went on to marry.

“After two long years of battling it out with you for an NOC (No Objection Certificate) and waiting for your approval for our NetFlix documentary release, we finally decided to give up, re-edit and settle for the current version since you declined to permit the usage of Naanum Rowdy Dhaan songs or visual cuts, even the photographs to say the least despite multiple requests.

“The songs of Naanum Rowdy Dhaan are appreciated till date because the lyrics came from true emotions, knowing that there's no better music that we could use in our documentary, your refusal to give us the opportunity to use it, or even just lyrics from the songs, broke my heart,” she said in the letter.

What she termed as even more shocking was the legal notice he sent after the release of the trailer of the Netflix documentary, in which he allegedly questioned the usage of some videos of merely three seconds that were shot on Nayanthara’s and her husband Vignesh’s personal devices. These were behind-the-scene visuals that were available on social media, she said, and expressed her shock at Dhanush seeking Rs 10 crore for using that three-second-long visual.

Also Read: FULL TEXT: Nayanthara’s three-page letter to Dhanush

“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 said in the letter.

“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 asked.

Even while admitting that Dhanush has the copyright, she added: “But I wish to remind you that there is a moral side to it, which has to be defended in the court of God.”

Noting how it has been a decade since the film was release, she said that was a long time for someone to continue “to be this vile while wearing a mask in front of the world”.

“I have not forgotten all the horrible things that you said about the film that was one of your biggest hits as a producer and a film that is loved by all even today. The words you said pre-release have left some unhealable scars to us already. I learnt through film circles that your ego was supremely hurt after the film became a blockbuster. Your displeasure over its success was perceptible even to common man through award functions connected with this film (Filmfare 2016).

“You may fabricate some fake story and pack it with punch lines and deliver it in your next audio launch too but god is watching. I wish to introduce a German word into your vocabulary, ‘schadenfreude’, and ensure that you don’t taste that emotion with us or anyone anymore,” Nayanthara added in the letter.

A few minutes ago, Vignesh Shivan too took to social media and posted a video of Dhanush's speech during a movie promotions where he speaks about universal love, along with a copy of the legal notice from the actor. Netizens have been commenting in favour of Nayanthara and Vignesh Shivan on the post.