Dhanush vs Nayanthara: Madras High Court reserves final order on BTS dispute
Dhanush's production house Wunderbar Films had moved a suit against Nayanthara, her husband Vignesh Shivan, and Netflix, alleging that clippings and behind-the-scene (BTS) visuals from 'Naanum Rowdy Dhaan' were used in the documentary.
(L-R) Nayanthara; Dhanush
CHENNAI: The Madras High Court reserved its order in the application preferred by OTT platform Netflix seeking to reject the suit moved by the actor Dhanush claiming infringement of copyright by the makers of 'Nayanthara: Beyond the Faiy Tale', a documentary on the leading female actor’s life and career.
Dhanush's production house Wunderbar Films had moved a suit against Nayanthara, her husband Vignesh Shivan, and Netflix, alleging that clippings and behind-the-scene (BTS) visuals from 'Naanum Rowdy Dhaan' were used in the documentary.
He claimed that the makers of the documentary violated his copyright protected under the Copyright Act, 1957, by not obtaining the no-objection certificate (NOC) for using the clips. The documentary that was released worldwide on Netflix on November 18 caused him huge losses, he claimed, and demanded Rs 10 crore for infringing his copyright.
On Wednesday, Justice Abdul Quddhose heard the original application preferred by Dhanush to restrain the defendants from using the clippings of 'Naanum Rowdy Dhaan' and also the application preferred by Netflix seeking to reject his plaint.
The BTS visuals were not part of the film and hence Dhanush does not have the right to claim entitlement nor sue under the Copyright Act, 1956, submitted Netflix’s counsel. Opposing this argument, senior counsel PS Raman submitted on behalf of Dhanush that his client had the right to move the suit under the Copyright Act, as the costumes and makeup used by the actors who appeared in the BTS clippings belonged to Wunderbar.
After the submissions, the judge reserved the order without mentioning any specific date.