Sudha Kongara Seeks Court Intervention for Unpaid Fees from Parasakthi
Director Sudha Kongara Takes Legal Action Over Outstanding Payment
Director Sudha Kongara has approached the Madras High Court to claim Rs 8.39 crore in unpaid fees related to her work on the Tamil film Parasakthi. Her petition, filed under Section 9 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, asserts that despite the film's release and some payments made, a significant amount remains outstanding. Additionally, Kongara is requesting interim measures, including a halt to the release of Idhayam Murali, which is also produced by Dawn Pictures.
Details of the Payment Dispute
Kongara has indicated that although the film has been released and invoices issued, a portion of her agreed compensation has not been settled by the production company, Dawn Pictures. Her legal representative stated that the total fee for directing Parasakthi was set at Rs 15 crore, with GST adding to a total of Rs 17.70 crore. To date, only Rs 9.31 crore has been disbursed, leaving an outstanding balance of Rs 8.39 crore. Furthermore, it was noted that Kongara had transferred all intellectual property rights associated with the film as per their agreement, yet the full payment has not been honored post-release.
Court's Ruling on Interim Measures
The Madras High Court, under Justice K Kumaresh Babu, has ordered that there be no satellite broadcast of Parasakthi until July 8. The court has also instructed the production house to submit a response by July 7 regarding Kongara's request to prevent the July 10 release of Idhayam Murali. It was clarified that the OTT release of Parasakthi had already occurred, and the current request pertains solely to its satellite airing.
Kongara's legal team argued that the production house had previously labeled Parasakthi a commercial hit, reportedly earning over Rs 100 crore. Despite this success, the remaining payment has yet to be processed. They emphasized that the petition was filed well ahead of Idhayam Murali's release to counter any claims that it was a last-minute attempt to disrupt the film's launch. The case is scheduled for further hearing on July 8.
Parasakthi features Sivakarthikeyan, Atharvaa Murali, and Ravi Mohan in prominent roles. The film, a sociopolitical drama set against the backdrop of the 1960s Tamil Nadu anti-Hindi agitation, also marks the Tamil film debut of Sreeleela. On the technical side, it includes music by GV Prakash (his 100th project as a composer), cinematography by Ravi K Chandran, editing by Sathish Suriya, and action sequences by Supreme Sundar.