In a significant relief for the family of legendary Tamil actor Sivaji Ganesan, the Madras High Court has quashed the order to attach his ancestral residence, famously known as “Annai Illam”.
The case originated when Dushyanth Ramkumar, grandson of Sivaji Ganesan and son of actor Ramkumar, produced the film Jagajala Killadi under the banner of Eshan Productions, starring Vishnu Vishal and Nivetha Pethuraj. To finance the project, Eshan Productions had borrowed Rs 3.74 crore from Thanabakyam Enterprises.
Following a default in repayment, Thanabakyam Enterprises approached the court, seeking recovery of dues by attaching Annai Illam, the historic residence of Sivaji Ganesan. Based on this petition, the court had earlier issued an attachment order for the property.
Subsequently, Ramkumar filed a petition stating that Annai Illam did not belong to him but was owned by his younger brother, actor Prabhu. In response, Prabhu also submitted a petition, asserting his sole ownership of the property and seeking the cancellation of the attachment.
Hearing the case on April 21, the Madras High Court confirmed that actor Prabhu is indeed the legal and full owner of Annai Illam. As a result, the court ordered the removal of the attachment order and directed the registration department to make the necessary updates in the records.
The decision brings a legal closure to a property dispute that had caused considerable concern among fans of the iconic actor and the Tamil film fraternity.