The Madras High Court on Friday ordered Super Good Films to pay Rs five lakh as damages to a leading mosquito and cockroach repellent manufacturer for depicting the product in a disparaging manner in the Vijay starrer ‘Thirupachi’.

A petition was filed by the company (Godrej Sara Lee Ltd) stating that the product had been depicted in a disparaging manner in the film directed by Perarasu, which was released in 2005.

Terming the content of the scenes highly defamatory, prejudicial, offensive and slanderous, the manufacturer said the film showed the product with a dialogue conveying a message to a pregnant woman that its product could kill not only insects and pests but also a foetus. In another scene, the protagonist sprays the product into the villain's mouth and kills him instantaneously.

Justice S Palanivelu said a perusal showed Super Good Films had infringed the trademark of Godrej Sara Lee Ltd and that the plaintiff was legally entitled for damages. The Judge said that even after an interim injunction, the film was shown in most theaters in Tamil Nadu without masking the relevant scenes, while it was done in some others.