High Court upholds actor Prabhu’s ownership of Sivaji Ganesan’s ancestral home in loan dispute case

Actor Sivaji Ganesan’s grandson Dushyanth and his wife Abirami, who are partners in Eesan Productions, produced a film titled 'Jagajala Killadi' starring Vishnu Vishal and Nivetha Pethuraj. To finance this film, the company reportedly borrowed ₹3.74 crore from Dhanabhakiyam Enterprises, with a high annual interest of 30%. However, failure to repay the debt prompted the lender to take the matter to court.In response, the court appointed retired Justice Ravindran as an arbitrator.After reviewing the case, he ordered Eesan Productions to hand over the complete rights of Jagajala Killadi to Dhanabhakiyam Enterprises, enabling the recovery of ₹9.39 crore, including interest. He also directed that any surplus after debt clearance should be returned to the production company. But Eesan Productions resisted, claiming that the film was yet to be completed and refused to part with the rights.To implement the arbitrator's decision, Dhanabhakiyam Enterprises approached the Madras High Court, seeking to seize Annai Illam, the family residence of the late actor Sivaji Ganesan. A single judge ruled in their favor, allowing the property to be attached. Actor Prabhu, however, filed a fresh petition asserting that Annai Illam was registered in his name and that his brother Ramkumar had no ownership rights. He urged the court to cancel the order.After multiple hearings, the court ruled in Prabhu’s favor last month, confirming his legal ownership and setting aside the seizure order as per Nakkheeran. Dhanabhakiyam Enterprises then filed an appeal. When the case came up today, the company requested a stay on the cancellation order, citing procedural lapses. The court, however, declined the request and directed both Prabhu and Ramkumar to file their responses by June 3.