Actor Dhanush’s father responds to Nayanthara’s controversial open letter allegations

Kasthuri Raja, the father of actor Dhanush, has publicly addressed the controversial open letter from actress Nayanthara, which went viral over the weekend. In a statement reported by The Times of India’s Samayan portal, the filmmaker dismissed Nayanthara's claims that she pursued Dhanush to obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) as unfounded.

Raja emphasised that both he and his son prioritize their work and do not engage with those who speak negatively about them. He stated in Tamil, “Work is important to us. We are running ahead. There is no time to answer those who chase us or those who talk about us behind our backs. Like me, my son is focused only on work. As Nayanthara said, waiting for two years is not true information. I don’t want to talk about it.”

Nayanthara's three-page letter, shared on Instagram on November 16, accused Dhanush of intentionally withholding content related to their film Naanum Rowdy Dhaan from her upcoming documentary, Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairytale. She alleged that Dhanush sent her a legal notice demanding ₹10 crore for a behind-the-scenes clip filmed on personal devices during the movie's production, which is now included in the documentary.

In her letter, Nayanthara also claimed that Dhanush harboured a personal grudge against her and her husband, Vignesh Shivan, which influenced his refusal to provide the necessary NOC. She described Dhanush as a "tyrant" and criticized him for not practising the values he espouses during film events.

This dispute has become a trending topic on social media. In response, Dhanush's lawyer stated that Dhanush is the producer of the film and knows exactly how the production funds were spent. The lawyer also refuted Nayanthara's claims that Dhanush did not authorize the shooting of the behind-the-scenes footage, labelling her statement as unfounded and challenging her to provide proof.

Dhanush's lawyer argued that the opposing party's claims were unclear, especially concerning who owns the BTS (behind-the-scenes) footage. The lawyer asserts that the footage is owned by Dhanush as the producer, not by the person who filmed it.

Dhanush's legal team has instructed Nayanthara and her team to take down the content they believe infringes on Dhanush's rights from the documentary. If they do not remove it within 24 hours, Dhanush will take legal action, seeking damages of 10 crore rupees from both Nayanthara and Netflix India.

As of now, Dhanush has not publicly responded to these allegations. Meanwhile, his own documentary is currently streaming on Netflix.