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The dispute centers on allegations of unauthorised use of clips from Dhanush’s 2015 film Naanum Rowdy Dhaan, produced under his banner, Wunderbar Films Private Limited.
Dhanush has filed a civil suit against Nayanthara, her filmmaker husband Vignesh Shivan, their production company Rowdy Pictures Private Limited, and two other parties. The suit claims that a behind-the-scenes clip from the film was used in the documentary without prior permission.

According to reports, Justice Abdul Quiddhose presided over the hearing on November 27 and directed Nayanthara, Vignesh, and the other respondents to address the allegations. Wunderbar Films has also sought the court’s approval to file a case against Los Gatos Production Services India LLP, Netflix’s content investment arm in India.
Preliminary arguments were presented by both sides, and the court noted that a significant part of the dispute fell under its jurisdiction. The next hearing will require Nayanthara to formally respond to the legal notice.

Nayanthara Responds with Open Letter
Amid the escalating legal tussle, Nayanthara earlier this week issued an open letter addressing the lawsuit. She accused Dhanush of harboring personal grudges and described the demand for Rs100 million over the use of a three-second clip as a “low” move.
The actress defended the inclusion of the brief footage in her Netflix documentary, stating it was used to provide context to her career and journey. She called the legal action unjustified and expressed disappointment over Dhanush’s approach.

The controversy highlights a growing trend of creative conflicts in the streaming era, as the boundaries of intellectual property usage continue to be debated in courts. The case remains under judicial scrutiny, with the next hearing set to clarify the legal ramifications of this dispute.

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The passenger has been transferred to the Kings Institute Hospital in Chennai and is currently under quarantine.

So far 14 passengers have been identified who returned from UK and are being monitored.

No other details about the infected person was immediately available.

Meanwhile, amid the discovery of a new and more infectious coronavirus strain in the UK , five people out of 266 passengers and crew members of a flight have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, which arrived at the Delhi airport from London on December 22.

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From Etisalat to Noor Bank, changing trains at Union and passing the Burj Khalifa station, my first ride on the Dubai Metro to meet a friend in Jumeirah remains unforgettable. Since then, the occasional metro ride alone, usually in the Women & Children carriage, has been relaxing and fun – watching carefree shoppers, chattering student crowd and of course, and preoccupied working women on their way to work. A sea of humanity quietly leaves the carriage at each air-conditioned station, up the steps or elevator and out into the sun.
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The cacophony that characterised the Chennai local trains and Metro was endearing in its own way – women selling flowers, vegetables, the blind selling trinkets or singing a mournful number and the random fishmonger sitting on the train floor with her basket on her way home – but the flawless precision and absolute cleanliness with which the Dubai Metro functions make me want no more. No eating, chewing gum or drinking water in this automated Metro that is the pride of the emirate of Dubai.

On September 9, 2020, the Dubai Metro celebrated its 11th birthday. As always, residents remembered with gratitude the grit and vision of the HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, the Vice-President of UAE and the Ruler of Dubai, who made this dream possible.

Parvathi S., a college-goer who often uses the train service, says: “Dubai metro will always have a very special place in my heart. It has made life simple, comfortable and so much easier. For a student like me, Dubai Metro has always been a life-saver. Reaching school, university or any place in Dubai has become very easy thanks to the metro service. The happiness of getting a seat during a long ride is one of those little moments that make the metro journey memorable. Thank you Dubai Metro for your 11 years of exemplary service.”

A good many secondary school children who attend schools near the train stations patronise the Dubai Metro too. And for teens like my son, wanting to chill out with friends on the weekend, the Metro provides a safe and economical means of transport. In fact, it is part of the adventure too. For tourists and residents alike, a Metro ride adds to the experiences that make up Dubai. It can easily be called the city’s most popular mode of public transport.

Over 1.5 billion riders have used the Dubai Metro until now, with a daily ridership of 650,000 reported last year. The number of Dubai Metro riders on its Red and Green Lines reached 202.98 million riders in 2019. Burjuman and Union stations, interchange stations on the Red and Green Lines, accounted for 12.76 million and 10.6 million riders respectively.

Route 2020, a 15km extension of the Red Line to the Expo 2020 site, with seven stations in between, was recently inaugurated by Sheikh Mohammed.

“The UAE has exceptional goals and ambitions. Today, we are moving with confidence, determination and a clear vision to attain the highest levels of excellence in various fields. Our objective is to provide people everything that ensures their wellbeing, stability and happiness and establish a prosperous future for the coming generations,” he said at the launch.

It was on 09/09/09 that Sheikh Mohammed gave the green signal to the Dubai Metro when he swiped the first Nol (fare) card to embark on a historic ride on the Red Line from Mall of the Emirates station to Rashidiya at 9:09:09 p.m. At its first stop, Dubai International Financial Centre or DIFC, the good Ruler placed a commemorative gold coin at the station. Since then, the shiny driverless carriage has been transporting residents and tourists across the emirate belying predictions that a city of cars and fast lanes will not find the public transport attractive. Today, many prefer to leave their cars parked at home or at the Park-and-Ride terminals and take a hassle-free and reliable metro ride to their destinations.

It saves them the hassle of navigating through peak hour traffic jams, or the fear of flouting a traffic rule and incurring a fine. Moreover, there is company in a train carriage unlike in a car – though in pandemic times, human company induces fear and social distancing is the order of the day.

When COVID-19 brought the world to a standstill, the Dubai Metro, like all public transport in the UAE, was completely halted for a two-week period in April. The National Sterilisation drive disinfected 47 stations and 79 trains of Dubai Metro before train services resumed on April 26. New safety and preventive measures are in place now, which instil confidence in the commuter.

“Al abwab toglaq. Doors closing,” reminds the much-loved voice of the metro as I enter a carriage, gloved and masked, for a Friday jaunt.

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In early July, Numbeo, the crowd-sourced global database on cities and countries, listed in its mid-year statistics three UAE cities in the first 10 safest cities in the world – Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai feature at 1st, 5th and 7th position respectively. Abu Dhabi has a low crime rate index of 11.36 and the highest safety index of 88.67 while Dubai scored a crime rate index of 16.98 and a safety index of 83.02.

In 2019 too, Abu Dhabi (ranked 1) and Dubai (6) scored top marks on the safety index with 89.3 points and 83.34 points respectively. Gulf cities like Oman’s Muscat (28), Bahrain’s Manama (32), Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh and Jeddah (64 and 103) also figured in the safe cities club. It is not just Numbeo; surveys by numerous other sites give these cities top ranking in the safety index.

Numbeo records that worries about being insulted or physically attacked because of your skin colour, ethnic colour, gender or religion is very low in UAE cities; worries about housebreaks and theft or the scourge of corruption and bribery that is ingrained in many other countries is practically nil here.

There is very little to fear in Gulf countries like the UAE thanks to the strict enforcement of laws and fast-track punishments. Many ordeals women dread or endure in the Indian subcontinent are non-existent here – eve-teasing, ogling and other forms of sexual harassment. One can walk around comfortably in as crowded an indoor exhibition as GITEX without fear of groping or jostling.

Back home in my village, women do not step out after 6 p.m. Twilight and later is not ideal time for women to venture out, except on festival nights escorted by the male members of the family. Growing up in India and Tanzania, and studying and working in Delhi and Chennai, I feel the South Indian metropolis is one of the relatively safer Indian cities for women but the ground rules are to avoid dark lonely spots or stretches and reach home by 10 p.m. unless chauffeured in a company car. But the UAE has been the most remarkable of my residences giving me unrestrained freedom of movement and a sense of security. I am not alone; that is the opinion of the average expat woman residing here.
For Sindhu, an Indian expat homemaker in Dubai for the past 23 years, the UAE is home like no other. The comforts of living here prompt her to rush back to her UAE home after visiting her elderly parents annually or whenever they need her proximity. As the mother of a college-going young woman, she feels it is a country that is very safe to bring up the girl child. The country appreciates and takes care of its entire expat workforce, with women and children in particular shielded by its safety net. A woman can take the metro or bus any time in the night without fear. She feels the punishment that awaits criminals is very apt and quick here, which makes people wary of committing crimes. A woman can stay alone safely without experiencing any discomforts. Hats off to the country’s COVID-19 fight too and its containment strategies, she signs off.
Yasmin, who has been working in Dubai for over two decades, feels extremely safe to stay in the UAE as a woman and as a mother. Women’s empowerment is achieved in real terms here, she affirms. She can go out any time and the signboards in every street ensure that she doesn’t get lost while driving; even if she gets stuck anywhere or parks her car on the roadside at night, the police immediately appears and enquires if everything is okay or if she needs any assistance. She can send out her boys alone without fear as helpline numbers and surveillance cameras in public transport and other public spaces induce a feeling of safety. In schools, children are givens lessons on how to protect themselves from all kinds of abuse while school buses are fitted with cameras to track students’ movement (some ensure proper ferrying through Radio Frequency ID cards that track them inside the bus and in school). There might be occasional cases of negligence by staff but the rate is very low, she notes. Call up the police on 999 in a medical emergency, and the ambulance is at your doorstep in 2 minutes to take the patient to hospital, she vouches from personal experience. The comfort, care and assurance that the UAE gives you and your family earlier and now during the pandemic is the best anyone could ask for, she declares.
Like Yasmin, I dream of an unhurried life in the Kerala countryside some day. But that day can wait. The beauty of my homeland in the lap of the Western Ghats is nonpareil but the comforts that come with living in the Gulf make up for it. Apart from being paradigms for cleanliness, hygiene and quality, countries in the Arabian Desert are oases of prosperity and cultivated greenery. They are home away from home for the Indian expat. The numerous restaurants from each Indian state, Indian stores and hypermarkets that sell Indian vegetables and goods, including time-savers like freshly ground coconut in boxes, to TV anchors and FM jockeys who chatter non-stop in Malayalam, Tamil or Hindi nip in the bud any iota of homesickness. Anyway, home was just four hours away by flight in pre-COVIDIAN times and quicker than the 12-train journey from Chennai to Kottayam.
Year-round sunshine and a tax-free economy bring expats by the hordes from all over the world, and they return after they have made enough to enjoy a quiet retired life in their picturesque homeland that always remain close to heart. East or West, the Middle East is best for those who wish for the modernity of the West combined with the culture of the East.
Borrowing from Rabindranath Tagore, let me take the liberty to describe my adopted land: “Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high… /Into that heaven of freedom” has this country awakened.

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The Tamil Nadu government has appointed Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal as Chennai’s City Commissioner. He replaces A.K. Viswanathan, who will take charge as Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Operations, Chennai, a post that was previously held by Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal.

Mr. Aggarwal played an important role during the migrant labourer crisis during the early stages of COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown in the state. Notably, he was posted as the nodal officer in Chennai’s North Zone in April to assist Greater Chennai Corporation in containing the spread of COVID-19.

For about seven years, Mr. Aggarwal served as the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in the Central Bureau of Investigation, Chandigarh.

Mr. Aggarwal has also received Police Medal for Meritorious Service and Chief Minister’s Medal for Outstanding Devotion to Duty. In 2018, he was awarded the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Police Medal for Excellence in Public Service.

As part of a major regime of Indian Police Services (IPS) officers in Tamil Nadu, the State government had transferred a host of other officers including Commissioners of Madurai and Tirupur, S Davidson Devasirvatham and Sanjay Kumar respectively. Devasirvatham is now ADGP, Technical Services, Chennai while Kumar is IGP, Technical Services. Prem Anand Sinha is the new Commissioner of Madurai City.

R. Dhinakaran who was the IGP/Additional Commissioner of Police of law and order, north, Greater Chennai Police (GCP), will take up law and order, South. This post was previously held by Prem Anand Sinha.

Among the other postings in Chennai, Sunil Kumar IPS will take charge as DGP, State human rights commission, Chennai and Amalraj who was Commissioner, Trichy will now take charge as Additional COP/IGP, Chennai. M.T. Ganeshmoorthy will take charge as IG, Economic offences wing.

Kapil Kumar C. Saratkar who was previously the Deputy Inspector General of Police/Joint Commissioner of Police, Law and Order, North, GCP, has now been promoted to fill vacancy and take charge as IGP, special investigation division (SID), Crime Branch Criminal Investigation Department (CB CID), Chennai.

N. Kannan has been promoted to take charge as Additional Commissioner, Traffic, Chennai. A. Arun who previously held the post will take charge as IGP of law and order, north, GCP. K. Bhavaneeswari has been promoted and posted as IGP, General, Chennai.

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