Nayanthara slams Dhanush for sending Rs 10 crore lawsuit over her documentary: All-time low for you
New Delhi, Nov 16: South cinema star Nayanthara on Saturday criticised actor Dhanush, who produced her 2015 Tamil movie "Naanum Rowdy Dhaan", for refusing permission to use footage from the film in her upcoming Netflix documentary.
In a three-page open letter posted on her Instagram page, the "Jawan" actor slammed Dhanush for sending a legal notice demanding Rs 10 crore in damages after the trailer of the documentary, titled "Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale", was released online.
“After two long years of battling it out with you for an NOC (No Objection Certificate) and waiting for your approval for our Netflix documentary release, we finally decided to give up, re-edit, and settle for the current version since you declined to permit the usage of 'Naanum Rowdy Dhaan' songs or visual cuts—even the photographs, to say the least—despite multiple requests.
“The songs of 'Naanum Rowdy Dhaan' are appreciated to this day because the lyrics came from true emotions. Knowing that there’s no better music we could use in our documentary, your refusal to give us the opportunity to use it, or even just lyrics from the songs, broke my heart,” the letter read.
Released in 2015, "Naanum Rowdy Dhaan" was a romantic comedy written and directed by Nayanthara’s husband, Vignesh Shivan. The actor starred opposite Vijay Sethupathi in the movie, which was produced by Dhanush’s Wunderbar Films.
“The vengeance you have been harbouring against the film, my partner, and me doesn’t just affect us but the people who have contributed their effort and time to this project.
“This Netflix documentary about me, my life, my love, and marriage includes clips of many of my industry well-wishers who have graciously contributed and memories from multiple films, but sadly does not include the most special and important film, 'Naanum Rowdy Dhaan',” Nayanthara said.
Dhanush has not yet responded to her letter.
The 39-year-old actor said she was shocked after receiving a legal notice for using a three-second behind-the-scenes clip in the documentary.
“We were startled to read those lines wherein you questioned the usage of some videos (just three seconds) that were shot on our personal devices, and that too BTS visuals that are already very much publicly present on social media, and claimed a sum of Rs 10 crore as damages for the mere three seconds.
“This is an all-time low from you and speaks volumes about your character. I wish you were half the person you portray on stage at audio launches in front of your innocent fans, but clearly, you do not practice what you preach, at least not with me and my partner,” she said.
Nayanthara said she would be giving a “befitting” reply to Dhanush’s notice through lawful means.
“Does a producer become an emperor controlling the lives, freedom, and liberty of all the persons on the set? Any deviation from the emperor’s dictum attracts legal ramifications?
“Your refusal to give an NOC for the use of elements of 'Naanum Rowdy Dhaan' for our Netflix documentary might be justified by you to the courts from a copyright angle, but I wish to remind you that there is a moral side to it, which has to be defended in the court of God,” she added.
Nayanthara noted that the film was released almost 10 years ago but Dhanush continues to act “vile while wearing a mask in front of the world”.
The actor added that she hasn’t forgotten “all the horrible things” Dhanush said about the film, which became one of his biggest hits as a producer.
“The words you said pre-release have already left some unhealable scars on us. I learned through film circles that your ego was supremely hurt after the film became a blockbuster. Your displeasure over its success was perceptible even to the common man through award functions connected with this film (Filmfare 2016),” she said.
“Courtesy and decency mandate large-hearted behaviour in such matters. I believe the people of Tamil Nadu, or anyone with a right conscience, would not appreciate such tyranny, even if it comes from an established personality like you,” she added.
Nayanthara concluded the letter by saying that in a world where it’s easy to look down upon others, “there is also joy in others’ joys, there is happiness in seeing other people’s happiness, and hope that comes from others’ stories”.
“That is the reason behind our Netflix documentary. I suggest you also watch it, and maybe it might change your mind. It is important to #SpreadLove, and I hope and pray that someday you are also fully capable of doing it and not just saying it,” she said.
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Microsoft workers say they’ve been fired after 50th anniversary protest over Israel contract
Washington (PTI): Microsoft has fired two employees who interrupted the company's 50th anniversary celebration to protest its work supplying artificial intelligence technology to the Israeli military, according to a group representing the workers.
Microsoft accused one of the workers in a termination letter Monday of misconduct "designed to gain notoriety and cause maximum disruption to this highly anticipated event.” Microsoft says the other worker had already announced her resignation, but on Monday it ordered her to leave five days early.
The protests began Friday when Microsoft software engineer Ibtihal Aboussad walked up toward a stage where an executive was announcing new product features and a long-term vision for Microsoft's AI ambitions.
“You claim that you care about using AI for good but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military," Aboussad shouted at Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman. "Fifty-thousand people have died and Microsoft powers this genocide in our region.”
The protest forced Suleyman to pause his talk while it was being livestreamed from Microsoft's campus in Redmond, Washington. Among the participants at the 50th anniversary of Microsoft's founding were co-founder Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer.
Microsoft said Suleyman calmly tried to de-escalate the situation. “Thank you for your protest, I hear you,” he said. Aboussad continued, shouting that Suleyman and “all of Microsoft” had blood on their hands. She also threw onto the stage a keffiyeh scarf, which has become a symbol of support for Palestinian people, before being escorted out of the event.
A second protester, Microsoft employee Vaniya Agrawal, interrupted a later part of the event.
Aboussad, based at Microsoft's Canadian headquarters in Toronto, was invited on Monday to a call with a human resources representative at which she was told she was being fired immediately, according to the advocacy group No Azure for Apartheid, which has protested the sale of Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing platform to Israel.
An investigation by The Associated Press revealed earlier this year that AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI had been used as part of an Israeli military program to select bombing targets during the recent wars in Gaza and Lebanon. The story also contained details of an errant Israeli airstrike in 2023 that struck a vehicle carrying members of a Lebanese family, killing three young girls and their grandmother.
In its termination letter, Microsoft told Aboussad she could have raised her concerns confidentially to a manager. Instead, it said she made “hostile, unprovoked, and highly inappropriate accusations” against Suleyman and the company and that her “conduct was so aggressive and disruptive that you had to be escorted out of the room by security.”
Agrawal had already given her two weeks notice and was preparing to leave the company on April 11, but on Monday a manager emailed that Microsoft "has decided to make your resignation immediately effective today.”
It was the most public but not the first protest over Microsoft's work with Israel. In February, five Microsoft employees were ejected from a meeting with CEO Satya Nadella for protesting the contracts.
“We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard,” said a statement from the company Friday. “Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption. If that happens, we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards.”
Microsoft had declined to say Friday whether it was taking further action, but Aboussad and Agrawal expected it was coming after both lost access to their work accounts shortly after the protest.
Dozens of Google workers were fired last year after internal protests over a contract it also has with the Israeli government. Employee sit-ins at Google offices in New York and Sunnyvale, California targeted a $1.2 billion deal known as Project Nimbus providing AI technology to the Israeli government.
The Google workers later filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board in an attempt to get their jobs back.
