Dawn Pictures Allege Parasakthi Director Sudha Kongara Concealed Rs 4.12 Crore Payment From Suriya's 2D Entertainment

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legal dispute between filmmaker Sudha Kongara and production house Dawn Pictures has taken a fresh turn after the company filed its counter affidavit before the Madras High Court. While Sudha Kongara has sought to recover Rs 8.39 crore in alleged unpaid remuneration for Parasakthi and requested a stay on Dawn Pictures' upcoming release Idhayam Murali, the production house has denied the allegations. Instead, it has claimed that the director failed to disclose an earlier payment she received from Suriya's 2D Entertainment. The case now based on multiple agreements and intellectual property rights.

Parasakthi Legal Dispute: Dawn Pictures Alleges Sudha Kongara Failed to Disclose Rs 4.12 Crore Payment From 2D Entertainment

In its counter affidavit before the Madras High Court, Dawn Pictures alleged that Sudha Kongara did not disclose receiving Rs 4.12 crore from Suriya's 2D Entertainment for writing the script, screenplay and dialogues of Parasakthi. As per the production house, Sudha Kongara had originally entered into an agreement with 2D Entertainment in 2021 before signing a fresh director's agreement with Dawn Pictures in July 2024.

According to The Hindu, the company claimed that Sudha Kongara terminated her earlier agreement with 2D Entertainment on December 18, 2024, after receiving Rs 4.12 crore as a full and final settlement. Dawn Pictures further stated that it subsequently acquired the film's intellectual property rights from 2D Entertainment by paying Rs 5.8 crore and has already paid Sudha Kongara Rs 8.5 crore, excluding GST.Sudha Kongara has claimed that Dawn Pictures has not paid her Rs 8.39 crore and has asked the Madras High Court to stop the release of the production house's upcoming film Idhayam Murali until the payment issue is resolved. Justice K Kumaresh Babu has reserved his order on her request. Dawn Pictures, however, has argued that the dispute involves several agreements and financial claims involving different parties, and said the matter should be settled through arbitration, where both sides can present their claims.

Parasakthi Was Originally Planned as Suriya's Purananooru

Before becoming Parasakthi, the project was originally announced as Purananooru, marking a much-awaited reunion between director Sudha Kongara and actor Suriya following the success of Soorarai Pottru. The film was set to be a period drama set during the 1965 anti-Hindi imposition movement in Tamil Nadu, with Suriya playing a student leader. The original cast also included Dulquer Salmaan, Nazriya Nazim and Vijay Varma.

However, the project was eventually shelved after Suriya exited due to scheduling and production constraints. It was later reworked as Parasakthi, with Sivakarthikeyan stepping into the lead role.