Director Gautham Vasudev Menon has suffered a legal setback after the Supreme Court upheld an earlier Madras High Court order in a long-pending financial dispute involving producer Elred Kumar of RS Infotainment. The apex court dismissed the director’s appeal, making it clear that there was no reason to interfere with the High Court’s findings. Thus, Gautham Menon will now have to repay Rs 4.25 crore with 12 per cent interest per annum 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.
Case dates back to 2008 film agreement with Silambarasan
As reported by The Hindu, the dispute began 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 was paid to the filmmaker for the project. During the course of the proceedings, counsel for Gautham Menon submitted that the film ‘Neethaane En Ponvasantham,’ made in 2012, was made under the same agreement and that the director had performed his obligations under the agreement. But the Division Bench of the Madras High Court has rejected this contention.
Court rejects Gautham Menon’s defence on ‘Neethaane En Ponvasantham’
During the proceedings, Gautham Menon’s legal team argued that the 2012 film ‘Neethaane En Ponvasantham’ had been 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 had not been utilised for that film.
Gautham Menon’s appeal dismissed, High Court order stands confirmed
Following the Division Bench’s decision, Gautham Menon and his production banner, Photon Factory, moved the Supreme Court challenging the High Court order. The appeal was heard by a Bench comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K. Vinod Chandran. The judges, on the issue under consideration, said they did not find any 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 directing Gautham Menon to pay Rs 4.25 crore along with 12 percent annual interest from May 2010 has attained finality and brought the long legal battle to an end.
