‘Animal’: Delhi HC summons T-Series, Netflix India on plea to restrain OTT release

The Delhi High Court has issued summons in response to a lawsuit from Cine1 Studios Private Limited, a co-producer of the movie 'Animal.' They are seeking to halt the film's release on OTT platforms and have filed the suit against T-Series, requesting a directive to prevent the movie from being streamed on any digital or satellite platform.

Furthermore, Cine1 claims that despite the film's box office success, T-Series did not fulfill the profit-sharing agreement and didn't provide financial compensation. Cine1 is also contesting T-Series' announcement of a sequel called ‘Animal Park,’ arguing that their rights extend to this new project and require their consultation.

Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi appeared for the plaintiff in the matter and according to the suit, ‘Super Cassettes has not only released the film without the approval, consent or consultation of the plaintiff, but it has also incurred expenses for making, promoting, and releasing the film without the plaintiff's approval or consent and received revenues from box office sales, but failed to disclose or disburse any sums to the plaintiff.’

During a hearing, T-Series presented evidence suggesting that Cine1 had accepted a payment of ₹2.2 crore in exchange for relinquishing their rights to the film, which Cine1 allegedly didn't disclose. This raised doubts about the validity of Cine1's claims and their eligibility for legal remedies.

Justice Sanjeev Narula, after admitting the suit, issued summons to defendants and granted time to file a written statement.

The court has allowed the plaintiff to submit a response within 15 days of receiving the defendants' written statements. The plaintiff must also provide an affidavit confirming or denying the documents provided by the defendants; otherwise, their response won't be accepted.

The case will be presented before the Joint Registrar on March 15, 2024, to finalize the legal arguments and exhibit marking. Subsequently, it will return to the court for the formulation of legal questions to be addressed in the case.

The bench has instructed that responses must be filed by 11 am on January 20, and the plaintiff can submit rejoinders, if any, by the end of the same day.

Additionally, the court has allowed the parties' legal representatives to submit concise summaries, not exceeding three pages, along with relevant case laws, before the upcoming hearing scheduled for January 22, 2024.

About ‘Animal’

‘Animal,’ directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, has earned over ₹900 crores globally since its release on December 1, 2023. However, the film has faced criticism for its portrayal of misogyny and violence.

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