A hit film at the box office does not always mean a settled bill behind the scenes. Director Sudha Kongara has taken her producers to the Madras High Court, alleging that a large chunk of her fee for ‘Parasakthi’ remains unpaid, months after the film’s release.
Kongara approached the court on Tuesday under Section 9 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, a provision typically used to seek urgent interim relief while a dispute heads toward arbitration. Her case is against Dawn Pictures, the production house behind Parasakthi.
She is asking the court for interim protection, arguing that despite the film’s release and invoices already raised, a significant portion of what she is owed has not come through. Alongside this, she has also asked the court to stop the release of another film, Idhayam Murali, which she says was produced by the same company.
What the judge has ordered so far
Justice Kumaresh Babu, hearing the matter, passed two specific directions. First, there will be no satellite release of Parasakthi until July 8. Second, the production house has been told to file its response by July 7, specifically addressing Kongara’s request to block the July 10 release of Idhayam Murali.
The case is scheduled to come up again on July 8, when the court will take stock of where things stand.
How the numbers add up
According to submissions made on Kongara’s behalf, the total amount she was owed under her agreement came to ₹15 crore. Add GST on top of that, and the full figure rises to ₹17.70 crore. Out of this, only ₹9.31 crore has actually been paid so far, leaving a gap of ₹8.39 crore still outstanding.
Her counsel told the court that the agreement clearly stated she had handed over the entire intellectual property rights related to Parasakthi. Despite that transfer and despite the film already being out in theatres and on OTT, the full payment has not followed.
A pointed argument about timing
One part of the argument focused squarely on timing. Kongara’s lawyers pointed out that the same production house pushing back on her payment is simultaneously moving ahead with the release of Idhayam Murali on July 10, as if funds were available for one project but not the other.
Her counsel was direct about why the petition was filed when it was. “They should not come at that point of time and say that you are coming at the back end of the release. That is why I have come much in advance,” he told the court.
It is worth noting that the relief sought specifically concerns the satellite release of Parasakthi. The film’s OTT release had already taken place, so that part is not in dispute here.
A film that reportedly did well commercially
Part of what makes this dispute notable is the film’s own performance. Kongara’s counsel pointed out that the production house itself had called Parasakthi a commercial success, with reported earnings crossing ₹100 crore. Despite that, the argument goes, the balance dues to the film’s director have still not been cleared.
About the film at the centre of this
Parasakthi is a Tamil political drama directed by Kongara and produced by Dawn Pictures. It features Sivakarthikeyan, Ravi Mohan, Atharvaa and Sreeleela in the lead roles. The film released in January 2026 and was reported to have crossed the ₹100 crore mark worldwide within just 11 days of release.
Kongara is being represented in court by advocates Nityesh Natraj and Vaibhav Venkatesh.