The legal dispute between actors Nayanthara and Dhanush has taken a new turn as Nayanthara’s lawyer, Rahul Dhawan, dismissed allegations of copyright infringement over the use of footage from the 2015 film Naanum Rowdy Dhaan in the Netflix documentary Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale.
Dhanush filed a civil lawsuit against Nayanthara, her husband Vignesh Sivan, and their production company Rowdy Pictures Private Limited, demanding ₹10 crore in damages for allegedly using three seconds of behind-the-scenes footage without permission. However, Dhawan, Managing Partner at Lex Chambers, has firmly denied any violation of copyright laws.
Speaking about the case, Dhawan said, “Our response is that there is no infringement or violation because what has been utilised in the docu-series is not part of behind-the-scenes material. The visuals were taken from a personal library, and therefore, do not fall under copyright restrictions.” He added that the legal notice has been formally addressed and that the next hearing is expected in the Madras High Court on Monday.
The controversy began when Nayanthara accused Dhanush of blocking her from using clips from Naanum Rowdy Dhaan and later editing the documentary to exclude the material. Despite this, Dhawan emphasized that the footage in question does not breach intellectual property laws, maintaining that the claims made by Dhanush’s team are baseless.The case continues to garner attention as both sides prepare for the upcoming court proceedings.