Nayanthara vs Dhanush: Who is right?

It’s been Nayanthara vs. Dhanush for the past two days in Tamil cinema. On November 16, the Annapoorani actor wrote a damning letter addressed to Dhanush in response to his legal notice over the unauthorised use of clips from Naanum Rowdy Dhaan in her Netflix documentary titled Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale. She called him a tyrant and urged him to let people live their lives. However, the open letter has sparked a heated debate, with fans and industry people taking sides on who’s right and who’s wrong.
As everyone awaits Dhanush’s response, India Today Digital spoke to producers in the Tamil film industry and a lawyer about the ongoing copyright controversy.
Nayanthara and her husband, director Vignesh Shivan, have been working on the documentary for two years. Just days before its official release on Netflix on November 18 (on the occasion of her birthday), Nayanthara raised eyebrows by writing a three-page note that tore into Dhanush.
This was in response to Dhanush’s legal notice to Nayanthara and Vignesh Shivan, demanding Rs 10 crore in damages for the unauthorised use of three seconds of footage from Naanum Rowdy Dhaan. He was the producer of Naanum Rowdy Dhaan, the film that brought Nayanthara and Vignesh Shivan together.
Hitting back at Dhanush, Nayanthara called him a tyrant and mentioned that she had been behind him and his team for two years to obtain an NOC (No Objection Certificate) to use the clippings of Naanum Rowdy Dhaan – a film central to both her career and her relationship with Vignesh Shivan – in the documentary.
She wrote, “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 (sic).”
Here’s her full note:
While Vignesh Shivan and Nayanthara went ahead in releasing the documentary with BTS (behind-the-scenes) visuals of Naanum Rowdy Dhaan, Dhanush’s legal team stressed the fact that the actor holds the rights [to the BTS as well] as a producer.
An excerpt from the legal notice to Nayanthara read, “My client is the producer of the film and your client has stated that my client has not commissioned any person to shoot the behind the scenes footage and the said statement is baseless and your client is to put strict proof of the same.”
Here’s the clip used in the Netflix documentary:
National award-winning producer J Satish Kumar aka JSK, in an exclusive chat with India Today Digital, emphasises the controversy as a battle between one’s legal standing and moral ethics.
JSK said, “Dhanush could have given an NOC when Nayanthara and Vignesh Shivan requested him. It’s just a three-second clip and it’s not a big deal. I see it as an ego clash between Dhanush and Nayanthara. The clash between them is not appreciable. Everyone knows that Naanum Rowdy Dhaan is a life-changing film in their career. When other producers have given an NOC, why can’t Dhanush?”
He also added that as a producer he had seen many of his film clips being circulated without proper permission. “It has to be a give and take policy. BTS stills and visuals, if mentioned in the agreement, can be included in copyrights. But, we need to react to it on a case-to-case basis.”
Here’s the trailer of the documentary:

A leading producer, on the condition of anonymity, criticised Nayanthara and Vignesh Shivan for making this matter ugly. The producer explained,”Everyone knows that the documentary initially began as a wedding film and has now taken the shape of a film about her career, personal and professional life. She sold her wedding visuals for a whopping price to Netflix. She’s not doing this for free either. Why should Dhanush not fight for what’s his?”
The producer pointed out that Dhanush had problems with the couple during the production of Naanum Rowdy Dhaan. “They have had issues since 2015 and Dhanush not giving an NOC is the final nail in the coffin. Nayanthara could have dealt with it in a more mature way than tearing Dhanush apart in a public forum,” the producer remarked.
Soon after the open letter went viral, producer, director and music composer SS Kumaran levelled serious allegations against Nayanthara and Vignesh Shivan. He mentioned that he owned the rights to the title LIC (which is also a film being directed by Vignesh Shivan). However, despite refusing, Vignesh Shivan used it as the title of his film.
Speaking exclusively to India Today Digital, Kumaran said, “In 2015, I registered the title LIC (Life is colourful) and kept renewing it every year for six years. In 2023, when I was about to start filming, Vignesh Shivan’s manager called him requesting for the title. I refused to give them the title and said, ‘I had already sold my title Hero to Sivakarthikeyan’s film for a price. LIC title is crucial for my story, so I won’t give.'”
Kumaran said that he received a call from Vignesh Shivan’s side a week later. “They claimed that they had the rights to the title and asked me how I got it. It culminated into a heated argument. Then they proceeded to name their film LIC despite knowing that I had the rights. I sent a legal notice to Vignesh Shivan’s Rowdy Pictures and filed a complaint with the producers’ council. Then, LIC (Life Insurance Corporation) sent a notice to them, after which they changed the title to Love Insurance Kompany (LIK).”
The producer mentioned that Nayanthara needed to be reminded that her husband had stolen his title. “For a three-second clip, they went all out against Dhanush. I went into depression after my title was stolen. This controversy exposes their double standards. What is now being done to them is what they did to me,” he rued.
V Sundarraman, an advocate at the Madras High Court, told India Today Digital, “Nayanthara and Vignesh Shivan have a solid case in their hands. They have claimed that they only used BTS visuals in the film. If the clippings are used in the film, then Dhanush can claim copyrights. This is similar to the Ilaiyaraaja’s copyright case. The case could even go in Nayanthara’s side.”
In Dhanush’s legal notice, his advocate Arun, mentioned that the BTS footage, along with the film and music, belongs to them and solely to Dhanush’s Wunderbar Pictures.
It remains to be seen whether Dhanush will initiate legal proceedings against Netflix and Nayanthara and Vignesh Shivan’s production house, Rowdy Pictures, over the use of BTS clips from Naanum Rowdy Dhaan in the documentary.