Renowned film director Sudha Kongara has approached the Madras High Court, invoking Section 9 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, to address a financial dispute concerning her film Parasakthi. The director claims that ₹8.39 crore, part of her agreed remuneration, remains unpaid by Dawn Pictures, the production company behind the film.
In the case titled Sudha Kongara v. Dawn Pictures, Kongara seeks interim relief, asserting that despite the release and financial success of Parasakthi, a significant portion of her compensation is still outstanding. As a protective measure, she has requested the court to halt the release of another film, Idhayam Murali, produced by the same company, until her dues are settled.
Justice Kumaresh Babu, presiding over the matter, has issued an interim order preventing the satellite release of Parasakthi until July 8. The court has also instructed the respondent, Dawn Pictures, to submit their counter-arguments by July 7 regarding the plea to postpone the July 10 release of Idhayam Murali.
Representing Kongara, the counsel disclosed that under the contractual agreement, the total payment due was ₹15 crore, exclusive of GST, which brought the total to ₹17.70 crore. As of now, only ₹9.31 crore has been paid, leaving ₹8.39 crore unpaid. The counsel emphasized that Kongara had transferred all intellectual property rights of Parasakthi to the producers, yet the full payment had not been made.
The counsel also highlighted that Dawn Pictures, despite acknowledging Parasakthi‘s success and profitability—claiming it garnered ₹100 crore—has failed to settle the outstanding amount. Kongara’s legal team argued that they approached the court well in advance of Idhayam Murali‘s release to avoid any claims of last-minute legal maneuvers.
“We wanted to ensure that they cannot later argue this was a back-end approach,” the counsel stated.
The court clarified that the over-the-top (OTT) release of Parasakthi had already occurred, and the current legal relief sought was specifically targeted at preventing its satellite broadcast.
The court has scheduled the next hearing for July 8. Parasakthi, directed by Kongara, is a Tamil political drama featuring stars such as Sivakarthikeyan, Ravi Mohan, Atharvaa, and Sreeleela. Released in January 2026, the film reportedly achieved a global box office collection exceeding ₹100 crore within 11 days.
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Advocates Nityesh Natraj and Vaibhav Venkatesh are representing Kongara in this legal endeavor.
