6 hours ago
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Film manager Gautam Vasudev Menon has approached the Madras High Court with a plea to assistance him 30 much days to merchandise the long-awaited ‘Chiyan’ Vikram-starrer Dhruva Natchathiram, since helium is not successful a presumption to merchandise it earlier June 15, 2026, “despite champion efforts”.
The exertion seeking hold of clip till July 15, 2026 is expected to beryllium heard by Justice K. Kumaresh Babu connected Monday (June 15, 2026). On the aforesaid day, a Division Bench of Justices P. Velmurugan and K. Govindarajan Thilakavadi would beryllium pronouncing orders connected related appeals too.
Two investors K. Punniamoorthy and K. Premkumar had filed the orginal broadside appeals challenging an bid passed by Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy connected April 30, 2026 erstwhile the decks were cleared for the merchandise of the overmuch awaited movie connected oregon earlier June 15, 2026.
The movie had got postponed for a rather a fewer years owed to fiscal and consequent ineligible issues. The quality stemmed from a theatrical organisation statement the 2 investors had entered into with Madan Pandy of Escape Artists Motion Pictures successful March 2016 with respect to Dhanush starrer Enai Noki Paayum Thota.
A fiscal quality arose betwixt them implicit that movie and hence, arbitral proceedings were initiated. Subsequently, a compromise was reached among the parties and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed successful March 2018, done which Mr. Pandy gave distant 50% of his rights in Dhruva Natchathiram to Mr. Punniamoorthy and Mr. Premkumar.
The rights in Dhruva Natchathiram were reportedly fixed distant to the 2 investors due to the fact that Mr. Pandy was 1 of the partners successful Kondaduvom Entertainment on with Mr. Menon and Reshma Ghatala. Therefore, the investors had filed a civilian suit earlier the High Court successful 2023 and obtained an interim injunction against the merchandise of the movie.
In April 2026, Justice Ramamoorthy had observed nary intent would beryllium served successful not letting the movie merchandise for years unneurotic since not lone the parties earlier the tribunal but besides hundreds of different actors and technicians who had worked successful the movie whitethorn extremity up suffering due to the fact that of its non-release.
The justice permitted Mr. Menon to merchandise the movie connected oregon earlier June 15, 2026 and made it wide a dedicated relationship should beryllium opened successful a scheduled slope successful the sanction of Kondaduvom Entertainment for the intent of carrying retired each indispensable monetary transactions required to get the movie released.
He besides appointed advocates M.V. Swaroop and H.S. Hredai arsenic observers/overseers to supervise the fiscal transactions required to beryllium undertaken for the merchandise of the movie. The justice said, Mr. Menon should person each finances, required for the merchandise of the movie, lone successful the dedicated relationship and not into immoderate different account.
“All payments required to beryllium made anterior to the merchandise of the movie to the creditors who had extended loans for the accumulation of Dhruva Natchathiram shall thereafter beryllium made lone from and retired of this account. Every debit successful this respect shall necessitate the anterior consent of and beryllium verified and overseen by the observers/overseers,” the azygous justice ordered.
“The Observers/Overseers shall guarantee successful wide that credits into and debits from this relationship are made strictly successful accordance with this bid work with GVM’s (Mr. Menon) main affidavit and different affidavits filed by the respondents earlier this court. Without the anterior consent of astatine slightest 1 of the observers/overseers, the slope shall not licence debits. No outgo shall beryllium made from the said relationship to immoderate of the partners of Kondaduvom Entertainment either towards remuneration oregon stock of nett without the anterior permission of this court,” helium added.
Then, Justice Ramamoorthy had besides restrained the 2 investors from impeding the merchandise of the movie and granted liberty to Mr. Menon to attack the tribunal seeking hold of clip if it could not beryllium released earlier June 15, 2026 contempt an endeavour to bash so.
It was this bid that Mr. Punniamoorthy and Mr. Premkumar had taken connected entreaty to the Division Bench led by Justice Velmurugan. The Bench had heard the substance and reserved its orders connected June 2, 2026. In the meantime, Mr. Menon has filed an exertion earlier the azygous justice seeking hold of clip to merchandise the movie.
