Parasakthi director Sudha Kongara moves court against makers over unpaid dues
Parasakthi director Sudha Kongara has moved the Madras High Court over alleged unpaid remuneration of Rs 8.39 crore for the Sivakarthikeyan-starrer. The dispute has prompted the court to indicate that the film's satellite release should be put on hold until July 8.
Director Sudha Kongara has approached the Madras High Court alleging that Rs 8.39 crore of her salary has not been paid to her for Sivakarthikeyan's Parasakthi, triggering a fresh legal dispute involving one of Tamil cinema's biggest releases of the year.
The petition, filed under Section 9 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, sought interim protection over the alleged non-payment. During the hearing, Justice Kumaresh Babu indicated that the satellite release of Parasakthi should not proceed until July 8, when the matter will be taken up again. The court also directed the production house, Dawn Pictures, to file its response by July 7.
According to Kongara's plea, her agreement with the producers fixed her remuneration at Rs 15 crore, with GST taking the total consideration to Rs 17.70 crore. Her counsel submitted that only Rs 9.31 crore has been paid so far, leaving an outstanding amount of Rs 8.39 crore.
As per the plea, Kongara had transferred all intellectual property rights related to Parasakthi under the agreement, but alleged that she had still not received the full payment even after five months since the film's release. Her counsel also informed the court that the producers had publicly declared the film a commercial success and claimed it had grossed over Rs 100 crore, yet the balance remuneration remained unpaid.
Apart from seeking protection over Parasakthi's satellite rights, Kongara has also sought to restrain the release of Atharvaa's Idhayam Murali, another Dawn Pictures production scheduled to hit theatres on July 10. Her counsel argued that the plea had been filed well in advance to prevent the producers from claiming that the challenge came at the last minute.
Here's the teaser:
It was clarified before the court that Parasakthi has already completed its OTT release and that the present plea concerns only its satellite release. The matter is scheduled to be heard again on July 8.
Directed by Sudha Kongara and produced by Dawn Pictures, Parasakthi stars Sivakarthikeyan, Ravi Mohan, Atharvaa and Sreeleela. Released in January 2026, the political drama, which is based on the anti-Hindi agitation movement in Tamil Nadu, went on to cross Rs 100 crore at the worldwide box office.
Director Sudha Kongara has approached the Madras High Court alleging that Rs 8.39 crore of her salary has not been paid to her for Sivakarthikeyan's Parasakthi, triggering a fresh legal dispute involving one of Tamil cinema's biggest releases of the year.
The petition, filed under Section 9 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, sought interim protection over the alleged non-payment. During the hearing, Justice Kumaresh Babu indicated that the satellite release of Parasakthi should not proceed until July 8, when the matter will be taken up again. The court also directed the production house, Dawn Pictures, to file its response by July 7.
According to Kongara's plea, her agreement with the producers fixed her remuneration at Rs 15 crore, with GST taking the total consideration to Rs 17.70 crore. Her counsel submitted that only Rs 9.31 crore has been paid so far, leaving an outstanding amount of Rs 8.39 crore.
As per the plea, Kongara had transferred all intellectual property rights related to Parasakthi under the agreement, but alleged that she had still not received the full payment even after five months since the film's release. Her counsel also informed the court that the producers had publicly declared the film a commercial success and claimed it had grossed over Rs 100 crore, yet the balance remuneration remained unpaid.
Apart from seeking protection over Parasakthi's satellite rights, Kongara has also sought to restrain the release of Atharvaa's Idhayam Murali, another Dawn Pictures production scheduled to hit theatres on July 10. Her counsel argued that the plea had been filed well in advance to prevent the producers from claiming that the challenge came at the last minute.
Here's the teaser:
It was clarified before the court that Parasakthi has already completed its OTT release and that the present plea concerns only its satellite release. The matter is scheduled to be heard again on July 8.
Directed by Sudha Kongara and produced by Dawn Pictures, Parasakthi stars Sivakarthikeyan, Ravi Mohan, Atharvaa and Sreeleela. Released in January 2026, the political drama, which is based on the anti-Hindi agitation movement in Tamil Nadu, went on to cross Rs 100 crore at the worldwide box office.
