Nayanthara-Dhanush copyright dispute: Madras High Court to hear case on January 8

Chennai: The Madras High Court has scheduled the hearing of a copyright case involving actor Nayanthara, her husband and director Vignesh Shivan, their production company Rowdy Pictures Private Limited, and Los Gatos Production Services India LLP, for January 8.

The case, filed by actor Dhanush’s production house, Wunderbar Films, alleges the unauthorised use of video clips from the 2015 hit film Naanum Rowdy Dhaan in the Netflix documentary Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale. Wunderbar Films claims that the clips were used without permission, despite repeated denials of a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) requested by Nayanthara.

Dhanush has also issued a legal notice demanding ₹10 crore in damages. In response, Nayanthara’s legal team clarified that the visuals used in the documentary were sourced from a private library and did not include official behind-the-scenes footage from the film.

The conflict reportedly began when Nayanthara sought permission to use footage from Naanum Rowdy Dhaan in the Netflix documentary. Wunderbar Films rejected the request multiple times over two years. Nevertheless, the documentary allegedly included the disputed clips, prompting Dhanush to take legal action. The situation escalated after Nayanthara posted an open letter on social media, accusing Dhanush of harbouring a personal vendetta against her.

Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale premiered on Netflix on November 18. The documentary initially planned to feature behind-the-scenes footage from Naanum Rowdy Dhaan, which was directed by Vignesh Shivan and produced by Dhanush. However, due to the absence of an NOC from Wunderbar Films, a short clip filmed on Nayanthara’s mobile phone was included instead.