Actor Nayanthara has come down heavily against Tamil actor Dhanush, stating that he has “festered vengeance” against her, her partner and director Vignesh Shivan, and their 2015 blockbuster film Naanum Rowdy Dhaan for the past decade. Calling Dhanush a tyrant, she asked if a producer “becomes an emperor, controlling the lives, freedom, and liberty of all the persons in the set.” She also wrote that after ten years of release, Dhanush has continued to be “vile”, and that she has not “forgotten all the horrible things” he said to her. “The words you said pre-release have left some unhealable scars to us,” she wrote.
Alleging that Dhanush, who produced Naanum Rowdy Dhaan starring Nayanthara and Vijay Sethupathi, refused to grant a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to use music, or even photographs from the film for her soon-to-release Netflix documentary Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale, the actor said in a statement that they have now re-edited and settled for a different version after two years of back and forth. She added that Dhanush has now served her with a legal notice, claiming Rs 10 crore as damages for using a 3-second Behind The Scenes (BTS) visual.
“The vengeance you have been festering against the film, my partner, and I, doesn’t affect us but the people who have given their time and efforts towards this project. 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 of multiple films, but sadly does not include the most special and important film, Naanum Rowdy Dhaan,” Nayanthara’s statement reads.
Nayanthara, who made it big in cinema without industry godfathers, earned the title of ‘Lady Superstar’ through her consistent body of work. In her statement, she expresses shock at having received the legal notice, since the said 3-second BTS clip was shot on personal devices of people who were involved in the making of Naanum Rowdy Dhaan, directed by Vignesh Shivan. “This is an all-time low from you and speaks so much about your character,” Nayanthara wrote, saying that she wishes Dhanush was “half the person he portrays to be on award shows and other events to his fans”.
Nayanthara also mentioned that she has faith in the people of Tamil Nadu to not accept someone like Dhanush, no matter how shining their work and personality are. She used the German word ‘schadenfreude’-- a person who derives pleasure from others’ misfortune– and asked Dhanush to not taste that emotion with anyone. Nayanthara also said that she will respond to the legal notice lawfully.
“It is important to #SpreadLove and I hope and pray that someday you are also fully capable of doing it and not just saying it,” she concluded. She said that she will soon respond to Dhanush’s legal notice with a befitting response.
Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale is set to release on Monday, November 18. Nayanthara, in both her open letter and in the trailer of the documentary, said that the rationale behind this documentary was to let people experience joy and happiness and to also be instilled with hope.