Director Gautham Vasudev Menon suffered a legal setback after the Supreme Court upheld an earlier order of the Madras High Court in a long-pending financial dispute involving producer Elred Kumar of RS Infotainment. The apex court dismissed the director’s appeal, explaining that there was no reason to interfere with the High Court’s findings. Thus, Gautham Menon will now have to pay Rs 4.25 crore with 12 percent interest every year as per the court’s direction. The ruling marks the latest development in a case that has remained under litigation for more than a decade.
The case started in the 2008 film agreement with Silambarasan
As reported by The Hindu, the dispute started after RS ​​Infotainment agreed with Gautham Menon in 2008 to produce a film starring Simbu. According to the producer, an advance of Rs 4.25 crore has been paid to the filmmaker for the project. During the proceedings, Gautham Menon’s lawyer submitted that the film ‘Neethaane En Ponvasantham,’ which was made in 2012, was made under the same agreement and that the director fulfilled his obligations under the agreement. But the Division Bench of the Madras High Court rejected this contention.
Court rejects Gautham Menon’s ‘Neethane En Ponvasantham’ defense
During the proceedings, Gautham Menon’s legal team argued that the 2012 film ‘Neethaane En Ponvasantham’ was made under the same agreement and that the director had fulfilled his contractual obligations. But the Division Bench of the Madras High Court rejected the claim. The court observed that ‘Neethaane En Ponvasantham’ was produced under a separate agreement signed in 2011 and was not connected to the original 2008 contract with RS Infotainment. It also concluded that the Rs 4.25 crore advance received under the earlier agreement was not used for the said film.
Gautham Menon’s appeal dismissed, High Court order confirmed
Following the Division Bench’s decision, Gautham Menon and his production banner, Photon Factory, moved the Supreme Court challenging the High Court’s order. The appeal was heard by a Bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and K. Vinod Chandran. The judges, on the issue under consideration, said they found no good ground to interfere with the judgment of the Madras High Court and dismissed the appeal. With the apex court upholding the earlier order, the order ordering Gautham Menon to pay Rs 4.25 crore with 12 percent annual interest from May 2010 has reached its end and brought the long legal battle to an end.
