Nayanthara explains why she wrote savage open letter to Dhanush: ‘Only have to be scared when I’m fabricating something’

Nayanthara wrote an open letter to Dhanush last month over him suing her over the unauthorised use of a clip from his production in her documentary.

Nayanthara chose to remain silent after writing a scathing open letter to former co-star and producer Dhanush over his lawsuit for the unauthorised use of a clip from his 2015 production, Naanum Rowdy Dhaan, in her recent Netflix India documentary, Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairy Tale. Now, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Nayanthara has explained her actions. (Also Read: Dhanush sues Nayanthara for 'unauthorised' use of Naanum Rowdy Dhaan visuals in Netflix docu, HC asks her to respond)

Nayanthara explains why she wrote an open letter to Dhanush

‘Not a publicity stunt’

“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. 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,” Nayanthara said. “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,” she added.

Nayanthara said her open letter was never intended to be a publicity stunt for her documentary. She says Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairy Tale “is not about whether the film is a hit or a flop,” but about knowing a person more, if you like them. She then explained that the only part of Naanum Rowdy Dhaan she wanted were four lines which “summed up our life, our love, our kids.” The 2015 film was helmed by Nayanthara's now-husband Vignesh Shivan and produced by Dhanush's Wunderbar Films.

Nayanthara tried to speak to Dhanush

Nayanthara also revealed that although she never does that, she contacted Dhanush's manager, requesting them to get her on a call with him. She said she doesn't want to get into what went wrong in the last 10 years, but wanted to clear the air with Dhanush so that they are at least able to say ‘hi’ to each other in case they cross paths in the future. The two famously ignored each other at a wedding days after Nayanthara's open letter.

The actor also clarified that the footage they eventually used in the documentary was that of a fleeting behind-the-scenes shot captured by a crew member. She argued that people don't realise that behind-the-scenes footage wasn't a part of the contract then, as it was now, so it doesn't qualify for official footage. Nayanthara hoped that given Dhanush is such a loved and reputed actor, he would let the issue go, but he only blew it out of proportion after the trailer release. That felt “unfair” to Nayanthara, who had to speak out with her scathing open letter.