Chennai, Jan 28 (NationPress) The Madras High Court has ruled against an application from the OTT platform Netflix, which sought to dismiss the copyright infringement lawsuit filed by Tamil actor Dhanush against actress Nayanthara.

This case revolves around the alleged unauthorized use of footage from the Tamil film ‘Naanum Rowdy Dhaan’ in Netflix's docu-drama ‘Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale’.

Justice Abdul Quddhose also rejected another plea from Los Gatos Production Services India LLP, the entity overseeing Netflix’s content investments in India, which aimed to overturn the court's prior permission granted to Wunderbar Films, owned by Dhanush, to pursue the lawsuit in the Madras High Court.

Los Gatos contended that the case should not advance in Chennai since the company is headquartered in Mumbai.

However, the judge sided with senior counsel P.S. Raman, supported by Gautam S. Raman, concluding that Los Gatos' applications were without merit.

The court has set a subsequent hearing for February 5 regarding interim relief sought by Wunderbar Films.

This interim relief concerns the usage of footage from ‘Naanum Rowdy Dhaan’ in the Netflix docu-drama.

In an affidavit, Sreyas Srinivasan, director of Wunderbar Films, asserted that neither Nayanthara nor Netflix had the authority to use any footage, including behind-the-scenes (BTS) visuals from the 2015 film, without prior consent from Wunderbar Films, which produced the movie.

Srinivasan noted that Nayanthara entered into an artist agreement with Wunderbar Films on August 27, 2014, which assigned all rights concerning her performance, likeness, name, and voice related to the film to the production company indefinitely.

Wunderbar Films reported that upon discovering the unauthorized use of the BTS visuals in the docu-drama’s trailer, a notice was sent to Netflix on November 9, 2024.

In response, Netflix and Tarc Studios LLP, the docu-drama's producers, claimed on November 11, 2024, that the visuals were personal and not captured by individuals commissioned by Wunderbar Films.

The controversy gained public attention just days before the docu-drama’s release on November 18, 2024.

On November 16, 2024, Nayanthara wrote an open letter to Dhanush via her social media, alleging that she had repeatedly sought a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Wunderbar Films for two years without success.

In her letter, Nayanthara detailed that the docu-drama included brief visuals and songs from ‘Naanum Rowdy Dhaan’ as the film symbolized the start of her romantic relationship with her current husband, director Vignesh Shivan.

She accused Dhanush of holding a personal vendetta against her and Shivan, as he had issued a legal notice demanding ₹10 crore in damages following the trailer's release.

Nayanthara maintained that only three seconds of BTS footage captured on personal devices were used, deeming the legal notice unwarranted.