Star heroine Nayanthara’s 3-page open letter blasting Kollywood star Dhanush two days before the release of her Netflix documentary, Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairytale, in November, left the fans and film industry in shock. Many called Nayan’s letter a PR stunt to gain visibility for her wedding documentary. However, for the first time, Nayanthara opened up about her clash with her former friend and colleague, Dhanush.
In a latest interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Nayan revealed that she had made numerous attempts to reach out to Dhanush to get the NOC to use just four lines her husband Vignesh Shivan had written for Naanum Rowdy Dhaan, a film she starred in and produced by Dhanush, in their wedding documentary. The dispute emerged when Dhanush filed a lawsuit against Nayan, Vignesh Shivan, and his production house Rowdy Pictures over the unauthorized use of the BTS footage from Naanum Rowdy Dhaan.
“The only thing we wanted in the film was those four lines. They meant a lot to us, as they summed up our life. It was very personal,” Nayan told THR India’s Anupama Chopra. She went on to say that she genuinely believed Dhanush, being a friend, would 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,” she added.
Nayan further clarified that the Naanum Rowdy Dhaan BTS footage used in the trailer for Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairytale was shot by unit members on their mobile phones. “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,” she added.
Finally explaining why she penned the open letter against Dhanush, Nayan said that she thought Dhanush, being such a popular star, would be the first person to say yes to the BTS footage. “But when the trailer came out, the issue was blown out of proportion. It felt unfair, and I had to speak out. 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,” she added.