4 min readHyderabadApr 30, 2026 07:50 PM IST
The Madras High Court on Wednesday ordered that Dhruva Natchathiram, the long-delayed Tamil spy thriller directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon and starring Vikram, must be released in theatres on or before June 15.
Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy, who has been hearing the case, directed the opening of a dedicated bank account in the name of Kondaduvom Entertainment, one of the production entities associated with the film, to handle all financial transactions arising from its theatrical run. An advocate has been appointed to the account as an observer to monitor all debits and remittances. The court further clarified that no partner of Kondaduvom Entertainment may draw remuneration or receive a share of profits without prior permission from the court.
Gautham Menon has been directed to raise funds from previously identified investors to settle outstanding dues to creditors ahead of the release. The court also stated that if the team is unable to meet the June 15 deadline despite making genuine efforts, they may return to the court to apply for an extension.
Why Dhruva Natchathiram is dealyed
The case was brought before the court by investors K. Punniamoorthy and K. Premkumar, who had sought to block the film’s release over unpaid dues connected to a 2016 theatrical distribution agreement involving Madan Pandy of Escape Artists Motion Pictures, a company originally attached to the production. The dispute had gone into arbitration, and in 2023, the two investors secured an interim injunction from the Madras High Court, preventing the film from releasing until their dues were cleared.
During the April 24, 2026 hearing, senior counsel Srinath Sridevan, appearing for the investors, proposed that the film be allowed to release on the condition that its box office revenue be routed through an escrow account so that all parties with legitimate financial claims could be paid from its earnings. The court sought Gautham Menon’s legal team’s response on the proposal before passing Wednesday’s order.
About Dhruva Natchathiram
Dhruva Natchathiram was first announced in 2013 with actor Suriya in the lead, but the project was shelved after creative differences between the actor and the director. Menon revived it in 2015 with Vikram stepping in as the lead, and production began in January 2017. The film was shot across seven countries and features a cast that includes Simran, Ritu Varma, Aishwarya Rajesh, Radhika Sarathkumar, and R. Parthiban.
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Production was repeatedly disrupted by financial constraints at Menon’s production house, followed by further delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and Vikram’s prior commitments to other films. The Central Board of Film Certification granted the film a U/A certificate in September 2023 with a runtime of 145 minutes. Its trailer was released in October 2023 alongside the theatrical run of Leo.
By the time the film was finally certified and a release in sight, Punniamoorthy and Premkumar moved the Madras High Court and secured an interim injunction, locking a finished film out of theatres over a debt it had not directly created. That injunction held for over two years, during which Menon admitted he had taken on acting work just to fund the film’s completion costs.
The film went wrong at almost every level: the original funding structure was fragile, the decision to link the project to a company that had separate outstanding obligations was never properly managed, the pandemic compounded existing delays, and the legal injunction arrived at the exact moment the film was finally ready.
