Director Gautham Vasudev Menon's long-awaited film Dhruva Natchathiram, starring Vikram, has finally received clearance from the Madras High Court. The film, which has been in production for 13 years, is set to release in theatres soon after the court ordered the creation of an escrow account to ensure the interests of all stakeholders are protected.
The film's production house, Ondranga Entertainment, released a statement thanking the court for its decision, which will allow the film to be released subject to certain safeguards. The film, which has an estimated budget of Rs.80 Crores, has been plagued by delays and financial constraints, including the Covid-19 pandemic.
GVM had initially pitched the project to Suriya in 2013, but the actor turned it down. Vikram eventually agreed to act in the film, but quit due to creative differences. The project was revived in 2016, and filming finally began in 2017. However, the film languished in production hell for years, and GVM was forced to take up acting projects to complete the film's post-production in 2023.
The creditors of the film, K Punniyamoorthy and K Premkumar, had approached the court to restrain the film's release and get back their dues. However, they have now agreed to allow the film's release if the revenue generated from it is routed through an escrow mechanism.
The court has ordered that an escrow account be created in the name of Kondaduvom Entertainment, of which GVM is a key partner. All transactions, both before and after the film's release, are to be made through this account. The filmmaker still has to obtain a no-objection certificate from the creditors he owes money to.
