Sudha Kongara moves Madras High Court over alleged pending payment from ‘Parasakthi’ producers

Director Sudha Kongara has approached the Madras High Court, alleging that Dawn Pictures has not paid her the full remuneration for ‘Parasakthi’, starring Sivakarthikeyan, Sreeleela, and Ravi Mohan.

Sudha filed a petition under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, reportedly claiming that ₹8.39 crore remains unpaid. She stated that her agreed remuneration for the film was ₹15 crore, with GST taking the total to ₹17.70 crore. She claims to have received ₹9.31 crore so far, leaving the balance outstanding.

The filmmaker argued that she had already transferred all intellectual property rights related to the film to the producers despite the alleged non-payment. She has also requested that the court restrain the release of Dawn Pictures’ upcoming film ‘Idhayam Murali’ until her dues are settled.

During the hearing, the High Court directed that the satellite television release of ‘Parasakthi’ should not proceed until July 8 and asked the production house to submit its response by July 7. Since the film is already available on OTT, the relief sought currently applies only to its satellite premiere.

Sudha’s legal team also pointed out that the producers had publicly described ‘Parasakthi’ as a commercial success, claiming worldwide collections of ₹100 crore. The matter will be heard again on July 8.