A day after actor Dhanush’s Wunderbar Films sued South Indian star Nayanthara and her husband Vignesh Sivan for copyright infringement, the "Lady Superstar" responded, saying it was not a copyright violation as it was the footage from her library.
Nayanthara’s lawyer Rahul Dhawan has said that the footage used in the documentary was a part of her “personal library” and doesn’t belong to Dhanush’s Wunderbar Films. The law firm had formally responded to Dhanush’s legal notice earlier.
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“Our response is that there is no infringement or violation because what has been utilised by us in the docu-series is not part of behind-the-scenes (from the film). The same is part from the personal library, therefore this is not infringement,” Rahul Dhawan was quoted in news reports on the legal feud between Dhanush and Nayanthara.
The dispute between the two actors goes back to Nayanthara, seeking a No Objection Certificate from Dhanush and his Wunderbar Films to use the BTS images from her film 'Naanum Rowdy Dhaan' produced by Dhanush and directed by her husband Vignesh Sivan. It was during the shooting of this film in 2015 that Nayanthara and Vignesh Sivanbecame close. She had sought the BTS visuals to be used in her docu-drama titled 'Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairytale', which talks about her life journey to become the Lady Superstar.
Earlier, hearing a petition filed by Sreyas Srinivasan, representing Dhanish Wunderbar Films, the Madras High Court had asked Nayanthara and her husband Vignesh Sivan to reply. The legal notice from Dhanush to Nayanthara, her open letter accusing Dhanush for not giving a no-objection certificate to the BTS visuals and Dhanush's lawsuit at the Madras High Court have drawn significant attention among their fans in Kollywood.
The legal feud between the two stars of Kollywood involving NetFlix had raised several questions on copyright infringement in the digital age. Any order pronounced by the Madras High Court in this case can turn into a precedent and throw light on intellectual property disputes within the film industry. The next hearing in this case at the Madras High Court is on December 2.
