Nayanthara apologises to Dhanush in resurfaced old video: ‘Absolutely hated my performance’
Nayanthara took to her social media on Saturday to share a scathing open letter to Dhanush, calling out his personal vendetta by sending a lawsuit to her for using footage from his production house’s film in her upcoming documentary, Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairy Tale.
Hours after her rant, an old video resurfaced, in which Nayanthara is seen apologising to Dhanush on stage for her performance in the same film.
Old video resurfaces
Several X users shared a clip from Filmfare Awards South in 2016 when Nayanthara won the Best Actress – Tamil award for her performance in her husband Vignesh Shivan’s 2015 romantic action comedy Naanum Rowdy Dhaan. During her acceptance speech, Nayanthara made a surprising remark at Dhanush, which seemed to have been said and received in jest but, in retrospect, hints at the tension between the two stars, which may have snowballed into their feud this week.
“Thank you Dhanush for initiating NRD (Naanum Rowdy Dhaan), and I have to say I am sorry also. Dhanush absolutely hated my performance in Naanum Rowdy Dhaan. Sorry Dhanush for disappointing you with my performance. I’ll probably make it better next time,” Nayanthara said on stage. Dhanush, seated in the audience, grinned and seemingly dismissed Nayanthara’s remark. He produced Naanum Rowdy Dhaan under his banner Wunderbar Films. It also starred Vijay Sethupathi opposite Nayanthara.
Nayanthara’s open letter to Dhanush
Nayanthara accused Dhanush of harbouring “vengeance” against her, following his legal notice to her, objecting to the use of clips from a film he produced. In an open letter shared on social media on Saturday, Nayanthara took a dig at Dhanush for denying permission to use songs and visuals from Naanum Rowdy Dhaan.
She questioned whether Dhanush’s decision stemmed from a “personal grudge” rather than business concerns, alleging that he demanded ₹10 crore for three-second clips shot on personal devices during the making of the decade-old film. Nayanthara described the move as an “all-time low” for Dhanush, whom she referred to as a former friend.
“Does a producer become an emperor controlling the lives, freedom, and liberty of everyone on the set? Any deviation from the emperor’s dictum attracts legal ramifications?” she wrote in her three-page statement. While confirming she would respond legally, Nayanthara highlighted the “moral side” of the issue, which she said “must be defended in the court of God.” “It has been almost 10 years since the Naanum Rowdy Dhaan’s release, but the vile behaviour persists behind a mask,” she alleged.
The Netflix India documentary Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale, scheduled to stream on November 18, offers an insight into Nayanthara’s professional and personal life, including her marriage to filmmaker Vignesh Shivan.