Actor Dhanush has landed in hot water after production house Thenandal Films reportedly served him a legal notice over a long-delayed film project. The banner has reportedly sought compensation of ₹20 crore, citing significant financial setbacks caused by the prolonged hold-up.
Dhanush in legal trouble
According to a OneIndia Tamil report, the production house is claiming that the actor signed a movie titled Naan Rudran with them in 2016, but never really shot for it.
As per the notice issued through the company’s legal counsel, Dhanush had originally committed to both starring in and directing the project. While the production house is said to have agreed to subsequent changes in the plan, it is being claimed that the actor failed to provide the complete screenplay thereafter, leading to the film remaining stalled for a prolonged period.
The complaint states that the production house has spent up to ₹20 crore in advance. They are claiming that they also paid other expenses for stars like Nagarjuna Akkineni and SJ Suryah, who were to act in the film with Dhanush.
Through the notice, the production house is saying that the delay caused significant financial losses to the makers, which has led them to demand monetary compensation to recover investments made during the early stages of production. The production house has further cautioned that it will pursue additional legal action if its demands are not fulfilled within the stipulated timeframe.
In the notice, advocate A Chidambaram said that the film was stalled halfway because “Dhanush gave call sheets to other films without completing work on this pending project”.
It is worth noting that Dhanush has not issued any official statement to date regarding the controversy and has remained silent.
Dhanush’s recent projects
Dhanush was last seen in Kuberaa, Idli Kadai and Tere Ishk Mein in 2025. Tere Ishk Mein, which was a romantic drama, also starred Kriti Sanon in the lead role. It opened to mixed reviews from audiences and critics and completed its box office run with a worldwide collection of ₹161.96 crore. The film tells the story of Shankar, a man whose life changes after a painful breakup. He will next be seen in Vignesh Raja’s Kara. Produced by Dr Ishari K Ganesh, the film is scheduled to release in theatres this summer, with the exact release date yet to be announced. He also has a project, tentatively titled D55, in the pipeline. The film will be directed by Amaran filmmaker Rajkumar Periasamy.