The court has ordered Dulquer Salmaan to halt the release of his film Kantha

November 12, 2025 Published by Natarajan Karuppiah

A lawsuit has been filed in the Chennai Civil Court seeking to impose a ban on the release of the film Kaantha, which is based on the biography of M.K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, the first superstar of Tamil cinema. In this case, the court has ordered the film’s production companies and actor Dulquer Salmaan to respond. The potential delay in the film’s scheduled release on November 14 has caused concern in the film industry.

Kaantha is a period thriller drama centered on the Tamil cinema world of the 1940s. Written and directed by Selvamani Selvaraj, the film stars Dulquer Salmaan in the lead role. He is paired with Bhagyashree Borse, while Rana Daggubati, Samuthirakani, Bijesh Nagesh, and others play key roles.

The story is inspired by the life events of the legendary singer-actor Thyagaraja Bhagavathar. Dulquer Salmaan is believed to be portraying Bhagavathar’s character. The film is jointly produced by Kochi-based Webber Films and Hyderabad-based Spirit Media. It was planned for a worldwide release in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada on November 14. The teaser, released earlier, had received a positive response from the film crew.

However, the film has now landed in legal trouble. Thyagaraj (age 64, a retired Joint Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Government), the maternal grandson of Bhagavathar, has filed a case in the 7th Assistant Civil Court of Chennai City. In his petition, he has alleged that “the film defames Bhagavathar’s life.”

The hearing took place today at the 7th Assistant Civil Court of Chennai City. Considering the seriousness of the case, the judge has issued notices to the production companies (Webber Films and Spirit Media) and actor Dulquer Salmaan, ordering them to file their response by November 18, when a final decision will be made. So far, no temporary ban has been imposed on the film’s release, but a decision will be taken after the next hearing.