Madras HC orders partial attachment of late producer ‘Sivaji’ Ganesan’s bungalow
The decision comes amid the monetary dispute involving a private enterprise, late actor’s grandson, RG Dusshyanth (son of actor and producer Ramkumar Ganesan), and his wife, Abirami Dusshyanth.
The Madras high court on Monday ordered the attachment of a portion of the bungalow belonging to Tamil actor and producer, the late “Sivaji” Ganesan, also known as VC Ganesan, situated in the heart of Chennai on Tuesday.
The house, which forms an integral part of the south Indian film industry, is located on South Boag Road, presently Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan Road, in T Nagar in Chennai.
This decision comes amid the monetary dispute involving a private enterprise, late actor’s grandson, RG Dusshyanth (son of actor and producer Ramkumar Ganesan), and his wife, Abirami Dusshyanth.
Justice Abdul Quddhose issued the order after mediation efforts failed. Dhanabakkiam Enterprises, represented by its partner Akshay Sarin, has demanded a settlement of ₹9.39 crore, including a principal amount of ₹3.74 crore along with 30% interest worth ₹5 crore as of July 31, 2023. However, aside from payments already made, the actor’s family has agreed to settle for ₹2.75 crore.
Sivaji Ganesan was an iconic figure in Tamil cinema who died in 2001 at the age of 72. He resided in this bungalow in the heart of Chennai until his death.
Initially, justice T Ravindran, a retired judge of the Madras high court, was appointed as an arbitrator to resolve the disputes between the Mylapore-based private enterprise and Eshan Productions, represented by Dusshyanth and his wife. This dispute stemmed from a financial agreement reached on December 22, 2017, for the production of a movie titled Jagajaala Killadi. Ramkumar had signed the agreement.
On May 4, 2024, the arbitrator issued an award directing the actor’s family members to pay ₹9.02 crore and future interest at 12% per annum until the amount was realized. The retired judge also permitted the private enterprise to sell the rights to the movie Jagajaala Killadi, produced by Eshan Productions, to recover the dues.
However, the private enterprise could not take possession of the film as it was informed that it was not in a suitable format for sale. It then filed an execution petition before the HC to enforce the arbitral award, which had attained finality, by attaching Ramkumar’s one-fourth share of his father’s bungalow, which spread over 22 grounds and 440 square feet.
Since multiple opportunities provided by the HC for an amicable resolution through mediation failed, and the actor’s family members did not file a counter-affidavit to contest the execution petition on its merits, justice Quddhose ordered the attachment of part of the bungalow. He directed the petitioner firm to communicate the court order to the T Nagar sub-registrar.
Following this court order, the sub-registrar entered the property’s encumbrance certificate for 13,310 sq. ft. out of the total area of approximately 53,240 sq. ft. The petitioner enterprise valued the entire property at ₹88.50 crore, stating that Ramkumar’s one-fourth share alone would be worth around ₹22.15 crore, sufficient to recover the outstanding dues.