Amid Feud With Dhanush, Nayanthara Says, "My Open Letter Was Never A Publicity Stunt, Why Should I Be Scared?"

After writing an open letter to former co-star and producer Dhanush regarding his lawsuit over the unauthorised use of a clip from his 2015 production Naanum Rowdy Dhaan in her Netflix documentary Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairy Tale, Nayanthara addressed the controversy. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she said, "Courage only comes from the truth. I only have to be scared when I'm fabricating something. If I'm not doing that, I don't have to be scared."

She added, "If I didn't speak out now, when things had already gone too far, I don't think anyone would have the courage to stand up for themselves ever again. Why should I be scared of doing something which I feel is right? 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.

Nayanthara made it clear that her open letter was "never a publicity stunt" for her documentary. She mentioned that Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairy Tale is not about whether the film is a hit or a flop," but rather about giving people a chance to understand the real person behind the image. She then shared that the only part of Naanum Rowdy Dhaan she wanted to use was a four-line segment that "summed up our life, our love, our kids." The 2015 film was directed by Nayanthara's now-husband Vignesh Shivan and produced by Dhanush's Wunderbar Films.

Nayanthara also revealed that she reached out to Dhanush's manager. She clarified that she didn't want to dwell on what went wrong over the past 10 years, but simply "hoped" to clear the air with Dhanush, so they could at least exchange a "hi" if they happened to meet in the future. The two had notably ignored each other at a wedding shortly after Nayanthara's open letter.

Nayanthara further explained that the footage in question was a brief behind-the-scenes shot taken by a crew member. She pointed out that people might not realise that behind-the-scenes footage was not covered by the contract at the time, unlike it is today, so it shouldn't be treated as official footage. The actress added that she felt that Dhanush escalated the issue after the trailer release. This made her feel "unfairly treated" and led to her decision to speak out with an open letter.