Exclusive | Nayanthara Breaks Silence on Legal Dispute with Dhanush: ‘Why Should I Be Scared Of Doing Something I Feel Is Right?’

In an exclusive interview with Anupama Chopra for The Hollywood Reporter India, Nayanthara has opened up about the ongoing legal controversy with actor Dhanush, following his lawsuit against her for using behind-the-scenes footage from his 2015 production Naanum Rowdy Dhaan in her Netflix documentary Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairy Tale. The actor responded to the accusations, offering her perspective on the fallout and clarifying that the situation was never meant to turn into a public dispute.

“I actually don’t want to discuss the controversy,” Nayanthara began, before acknowledging the situation. “But since you’ve asked, I’ll just explain. It was never meant to be a controversy, and it was never meant to be put out at that particular time when we were about to release the (Netflix) film.”

The legal battle began after Dhanush’s production company, Wunderbar Films, filed a lawsuit against Nayanthara, her husband Vignesh Shivan, and their production house Rowdy Pictures, accusing them of using unauthorised BTS footage from Naanum Rowdy Dhaan in the documentary. Dhanush’s company had initially been asked for a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for use of the footage, but they later raised concerns after clips from the film appeared in the trailer of Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale.

Nayanthara addressed the decision to speak out publicly, asserting that the intention behind using the clips was never malicious. “Why should I be scared of doing something which I feel is right?” she said. “I should be scared only if I’m doing something wrong. I’m not someone who would want to tarnish someone’s image just for the sake of publicity.”

Despite acknowledging the legal dispute, Nayanthara emphasised that her actions were not driven by publicity or financial gain. “There are a lot of people who supported us, but there are also people, supposedly his fans, who think we did this for PR. I don’t think that was the intention at all. It never even crossed our minds,” she said. “The film is not meant to be viewed as a commercial success. It’s a documentary about a person. If you like that person, you want to know more about them; it’s not about whether the film is a hit or a flop.”

She also explained that the dispute over the BTS footage came after multiple attempts to resolve the issue privately, particularly regarding four specific lines written by Vignesh for the film. “The only thing we wanted in the film was those four lines. They meant a lot to us, as they summed up our life, our love, our kids. It was very personal,” she said. “We genuinely thought Dhanush, being a friend, would be the first person to agree to it. But when that didn’t happen, we were okay with not using the lines. We didn’t get the NOC. We moved past that.”

Despite agreeing to remove the footage and finding a solution, Nayanthara recounted how tensions escalated further. She described trying to reach Dhanush directly through mutual contacts and even speaking to his manager, but her efforts were unsuccessful. “I spoke to his manager, which I usually don’t do. I told him it’s okay if you don’t give the NOC. It’s his call, it’s his film. But I just wanted a phone call with him to understand what the issue was. I wanted to clear the air. We didn’t have to be the best of friends, but I wanted to at least be able to say ‘hi’ if we saw each other in the future.”

With the documentary nearing completion, Nayanthara stated that she was willing to move forward without the contested footage. “We decided not to use the clips. Vignesh even wrote new lyrics for us. But when the trailer was released, the BTS footage came under scrutiny again,” she said, explaining that the footage in question was taken by cast and crew members on their phones, and not as part of an official film shoot.

Nayanthara defended her stance on the issue, insisting that the footage in question was not a major part of the film, and that the focus was on the personal moments that she and Vignesh wanted to share. “People don’t understand that BTS is only a part of a contract now. This was 10 years ago. These were random videos taken on our phones and the phones of others in the crew. It wasn’t official footage,” she said. “For someone like Dhanush, who is so respected by his fans and peers, I thought he would just let it go. But when the trailer came out, the issue was blown out of proportion. It felt unfair, and I had to speak out.”

Throughout the interview, Nayanthara remained calm but firm in her belief that she had acted in good faith. “Courage only comes from the truth,” she said. “I only have to be scared when I’m fabricating something. If I’m not doing that, I don’t have to be scared. If I didn’t speak out now, when things had already gone too far, I don’t think anyone would have the courage to stand up for themselves ever again.”

The full legal outcome remains to be seen, but for now, it’s clear that Nayanthara’s perspective on the issue is rooted in her desire to set the record straight.