Mumbai: The upcoming streaming documentary ‘Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairy Tale’, based on superstar Nayanthara, has triggered a rift between the actress and superstar Dhanush. The actress called out Dhanush after he sent a legal notice to her seeking compensation over the use of certain clips in the documentary without authorisation.
On Saturday, the actress took to her Instagram, and shared a long letter addressed to Dhanush in which she pointed the gun at the actor for trying to block the release of her documentary as it features footage from the film Naanum Rowdy Dhaan.
She wrote, “A well-established actor like you, with the support and blessings of your father and your brother, an ace director, needs to read and understand this. Cinema as we all know is a fight for survival for people like me, a self made woman with no links in the industry and someone who had to struggle my way to the position I hold today. I’d owe this to my work ethic that is no secret to all who know me but more importantly, to the goodwill of the audience and my film fraternity”.
She shared that the release of her Netflix documentary has been much awaited by many of her fans.
She continued, “It took a whole team of collaborators and film friends to pull together the project through all the difficulties that were thrown at us. The vengeance that you have been festering against the film, my partner and I, doesn’t just affect us but the people who have given their effort and time 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 from multiple films, but sadly does not include the most special and important film, Naanum Rowdy Dhaan”.
She shared that after two long years of battling it out with the actor for an NOC (No Objection Certificate) and waiting for his approval for the documentary release, the team finally decided to give up, re-edit and settle for the current version since he declined to permit the usage of Naanum Rowdy Dhaan songs or visual cuts.
She said, “The songs of Naanum Rowdy Dhaan are appreciated till date because the lyrics came from true emotions, knowing that there’s no better music that we could use in our documentary, your refusal to give us the opportunity to use it, or even just lyrics from the songs, broke my heart. It is understandable if it is business compulsions and monetary issues that mandate your denial; but it hurts that this decision of yours is only to vent out your personal grudge against us and that you have deliberately remained indecisive this long”.
She went on, “What’s even more shocking is your legal notice after the release of the trailer of the Netflix Documentary. 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 Rs.10 crores as damages for the mere 3 seconds. 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”.
The actress then asked, “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?
The actress intensified her words as she wrote, “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. I learnt through film circles that your ego was supremely hurt after the film became a blockbuster”.
“Through this letter I only wish and pray that you come to peace with your inner self over the success of some people whom you knew from the past. The world is a big place, it’s meant for everyone. It’s okay for people you know to come up in life. It’s okay for normal people with no background in cinema to make it big. It’s okay if some people make connections and are happy”, she added.
