Rs 10 cr for 3-sec clip: Nayanthara clobbers Dhanush for venting out ‘grudge’

Actor Nayanthara has responded with a detailed social media post to Dhanush’s legal notice seeking an eye-popping Rs 10 crore over the use of what she claimed three seconds of behind-the-scenes (BTS) clips in her upcoming Netflix documentary, Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale.

The star mentioned in the open letter that after two years of “battling it out” with Dhanush for a no-objection certificate (NOC) from him to permit the use of songs and clips from Naanum Rowdy Dhaan, they gave up and settled for a re-edited version leaving out those clips.

Rs 10 crore for 3 seconds

However, with the documentary about to stream on Netflix from Monday (November 18) and the trailer out, Dhanush has sent Nayanthara’s team a legal notice demanding Rs 10 crore for the use of some videos, apparently without his consent.

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“We were startled to read those lines wherein you questioned the usage of some videos (just 3 seconds) which were shot in our personal devices and that too BTS visuals that are already very much publicly present on social media and claimed a sum of Rs10 crores as damages for the mere 3 seconds,” Nayanthara wrote in the open letter.

“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 added.

Personal grudge?

Nayanthara said that it would be understandable if Dhanush’s denial had been over “business compulsions and monetary issues” but “it hurts that this decision of yours is only to vent out your personal grudge against us”.

Dhanush was the producer of the film Naanum Rowdy Dhaan released in 2015. “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?” read Nayanthara’s sarcastic post, indicating that the animosity arose from the time of the film’s shooting.

Trouble over superhit film

“It’s almost been 10 years since the release of the film, and it is 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,” she wrote.

From the letter, it seemed that Dhanush had been unhappy despite the applaud the film earned. “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),” Nayanthara added.

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Journey of a self-made woman

She addressed the letter sarcastically to “Mr Dhanush K Raja, son of Kasthoori Raja and brother of Selvaraghavan” to highlight Dhanush’s privileged background and the fact that she was “a self-made woman no links in the [film] industry and someone who had to struggle [her] way to the position [she holds] today”.

Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale focuses on her journey from middle-class beginnings to becoming a superstar. The documentary reportedly features accounts from actors such as Rana Daggubati, Taapsee Pannu, and Nagarjuna Akkineni.

“This NetFlix documentary about me, my life, my love and marriage includes clips of many of my industry well-wishers who have graciously contributed and memories from multiple films, but sadly does not include the most special and important film, Naanum Rowdy Dhaan,” she wrote.

Nayanthara’s husband, Vignesh Shivan, has also reacted to Dhanush’s legal notice in an Instagram post.