Dhanush is basking in the box office success of his 50th movie Raayan. But he is also in some trouble, as he has earned the wrath of the Tamil Film Producers Council (TFPC) for his unprofessional conduct after signing for a film.
The award-winning film star, who is separated from superstar Rajinikanth’s daughter, is accused of not giving dates to many producers despite taking hefty amounts as an advance. This has forced the council and other associations to pass a resolution against him.
“Since actor Dhanush has received advance payments from many producers, those planning to start the shoot of any new project with the film star are requested to consult the TFPC,” read a resolution adopted at the joint meeting of the TFPC, Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners Association, Multiplex Owners Association and Film Distributors Association on Monday.
Concerned by the astronomical salary that artistes and technicians demand and the lack of screen space for small budget movies, TFPC has also suspended new projects from Aug 15 and stopped all film shoots from Nov 1.
The joint meeting specifically looked at clearing the backlog of films which have been stuck in various stages of production.
Last year, Sri Thenandal Films accused Dhanush of taking a signing amount and then not turning up for the shoot. News of the actor’s behaviour came as a shock to his fans.
IndiaGlitz reported that Dhanush was issued a “red card” by the TFPC along with Tamil actor Vishal, who allegedly “misused the council’s funds during his tenure as TFPC president”.
Dhanush’s latest film Raayan is on its way to becoming the all-time highest-grossing film of his career.
His second directorial venture is having a stellar run in theatres and is marching towards Rs100 crore ($16 million) gross worldwide, reported India Today. It could easily become one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of 2024.
The actor will be next seen in another highly-anticipated film Kubera, which will also have Rashmika Mandanna and Nagarjuna in crucial roles.
Dhanush will also be part of the biopic on veteran music composer Ilaiyaraaja which will release in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.
Other artistes and technicians also came in for criticism for failing to keep commitments made to producers.
“This pushes a film producer into a huge financial loss,” a TFPC resolution read, adding that henceforth, anyone who receives an advance should complete the project before moving to a fresh one.
The council also decided that big-budget films featuring A-listers will release on streaming platforms only after the film has spent eight weeks in the cinemas. This is to ensure theatres get enough business and a longer theatrical run of the films.
