PremiumAnimal OTT release in legal soup; Delhi HC summons T-Series and Netflix as co-producer seeks stay on its digital release – Everything about the row
Animal was released on the big screen on December 1, 2023, and is now set to hit the streaming world on Netflix.
Last Updated: 04.04 PM, Jan 19, 2024
One of the most controversial movies in a long time, Animal, is still making headlines even after being in theatres for much over a month now. Starring Ranbir Kapoor and Rashmika Mandanna and directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, the movie has been the talk of the town for many reasons, the topmost being the fact that many have labeled the movie misogynistic and problematic. Now that it has moved to streaming and satellite, it looks like another controversy is waiting for it before it makes it to the other side.
What Is The Row About
T-series has entered into a contract with Netflix in India for granting internet exploitation rights and with Sony Pictures Network India for granting satellite rights for the film "Animal," starring Ranbir Kapoor and Rashmika Mandanna. Cine1 Studios Private Limited, one of the co-producers of the film directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, has moved to the Delhi High Court seeking a stay on the OTT release of "Animal." The lawsuit was filed against T-series, seeking a direction to restrain the film's release on any streaming or satellite platform.
What Does The Court Say
The Delhi High Court has issued a summons against the defendant and granted time to file a written statement. According to ANI, Justice Narula directed, "Along with the written statement(s), defendants shall also file an affidavit(s) of admission/denial of the documents of the plaintiff, without which the written statement(s) shall not be taken on record,” as per ANI.
The court further granted liberty to the plaintiff to file a replication within 15 days of the written statement. Currently, the matter has been listed with the Joint Registrar on March 15, 2024, to finalise pleadings and annotate exhibits. After this, the matter will be listed before the court.
As per the plaintiff's claims, Super Cassettes Industries Pvt Ltd agreed on September 11, 2019, and a letter on October 13, 2021, along with an additional agreement under the amendment agreement to the acquisition deal on August 2, 2022. According to these agreements, the plaintiff agreed to transfer its rights of first refusal and last matching right to produce the second Hindi film directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga to Defendant No. 1.
The parties also agreed to have a 35% ownership stake in the derivative and intellectual property rights of the film to be produced. They further agreed that the plaintiff would be entitled to a 35% profit share. The plaintiff claimed that these contracts have been consistently breached by Super Cassettes.
Additionally, the defendant didn't disclose the total production cost of the film and hadn't consulted the plaintiff before releasing the trailer, teaser, or any other promotional material for the film. According to the defendant's advocate, Amit Sibal, the plaintiff allegedly gave up all their intellectual property and derivative rights in return for Rs 2.6 crore.
Now, after the matter has been filed, Justice Sandeep Narula has scheduled the next hearing for Thursday, and the plaintiff is asked to obtain information regarding the amendment agreement.
About Animal
For the unversed, Animal, directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, stars Ranbir Kapoor alongside Rashmika Mandanna, Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, and Shakti Kapoor. The movie, which was released on December 1, 2023, is being planned to be turned into a franchise, and the announcement of its sequel, Animal Park, is proof of this.
Stay tuned to OTTplay for more on this and everything else in the world of streaming and films.