Rajinikanth’s 2014 Tamil film “Kochadaiiyaan”, starring the superstar alongside Deepika Padukone and Jackie Shroff, has made headlines again—12 years after its release. The Madras High Court has imposed a fine of ₹2.52 crore on the film’s producer, J. Murali Manohar, and his production house, Mediawan Global Entertainment Ltd. The court has ordered that the amount be paid within four weeks, failing which the producers could face six months in prison.
Directed by Rajinikanth’s Daughter, Story Behind the Film
The film was directed by Rajinikanth’s daughter Soundarya Rajinikanth. Despite the hype surrounding its motion-capture technology, the film performed poorly at the box office. However, the legal case behind it revolves not around its performance but financial disputes involving a bounced check and compensation to an advertising agency.
Legal Proceedings from 2021 to 2023
Justice Sundar Mohan of the Madras High Court partially approved a criminal revision case filed by the producer against previous rulings. In 2021, a Metropolitan Magistrate had sentenced Murali Manohar to six months in jail and ordered him to pay ₹7.70 crore or serve additional jail time. In August 2023, a City Civil Court confirmed the sentence.
The Financial Dispute
The dispute began when the production house secured a ₹20 crore loan from AdBureau Advertising Pvt. Ltd on 25 April 2014, for the post-production of the photorealistic motion-capture film. The financier, Abhirchand Nahar, was promised a guaranteed profit of 20% or at least ₹2.40 crore from rights sales before any third-party transactions. Initially, ₹10 crore was transferred to the producer’s bank account. However, by December 2014, a check issued by the production house bounced, triggering the legal action.
The High Court noted that of the ₹10 crore, ₹8.74 crore had been repaid, leaving a balance of ₹1.26 crore. The fine was therefore doubled to ₹2.52 crore.
Rajinikanth’s Wife Lata Also Involved
The case also implicated Rajinikanth’s wife, Lata Rajinikanth, when the advertising agency filed a fraud case in 2016 related to the film’s rights. The Supreme Court had issued notices regarding the sale of rights, and in 2018, ordered her to pay ₹6.20 crore.
In October 2025, a Bengaluru court rejected Lata Rajinikanth’s plea to remove charges of fraud and misrepresentation in the criminal case.
Lata Rajinikanth Speaks
Following her bail in 2023, Lata told ANI: “For me, this is about the humiliation, harassment, and exploitation of being a public figure. This is the price we pay for being celebrities. A case that might not be huge suddenly becomes headline news. But there was no fraud on our part.”
Court Order
The Madras High Court has now clearly directed the producers: pay ₹2.52 crore to the advertising agency within four weeks or prepare for a six-month jail sentence, marking the latest chapter in a legal saga that spans over a decade.
Discover more from SD NEWS agency
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.