Actress Sheetal Thamby demands Rs 5 crore in compensation from Manju Warrier. What led to this legal feud?

Actress Sheetal Thamby has issued a legal notice to Manju Warrier, accusing the actress-producer of negligence on the set of the film 'Footage', which allegedly led to Sheetal sustaining severe injuries. According to the reports by Asianet News, the notice demands Rs 5 crore in compensation for the physical and financial toll resulting from the incident.

Sheetal, who also served as an assistant director on the film, was injured while performing a fight scene in the Chimmini forest area. The legal notice claims that multiple takes of the scene were required, and the absence of proper safety measures contributed to the injury. Despite the seriousness of her condition, Sheetal alleges that the production company, Movie Bucket, failed to provide adequate medical attention, forcing her to undergo surgery at her own expense. So far, the company has only provided Rs 1.80 lakh in installments, leaving her financially burdened and unable to work.

Ranjith Marar, Sheetal's lawyer, emphasised that there was no ambulance or basic medical facilities available on set, which worsened her situation. He also pointed out that Sheethal was made to perform the stunt herself—a task generally assigned to stunt doubles—leading to a significant escalation of her injuries. Despite her direct pleas for assistance and her participation in the film’s promotional activities, Sheetal claims that the promised compensation was never delivered, compelling her to take legal action against Manju Warrier and Bineesh Chandran of Movie Bucket.


Manju Warrier has recently addressed cybersecurity issues on her Twitter feed. She supported the Women in Cinema Collective’s (WCC) statement condemning cyberattacks against one of their members following the release of the Hema Committee report.