Another Trouble For Sandeep Vanga’s Animal

Cine1 Studios has taken legal action by approaching the Delhi High Court to halt the release of the movie “Animal” on Over-The-Top (OTT) platforms. They claim to be one of the producers of the film, starring Ranbir Kapoor and directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, which was a major success in 2023.

Cine1 Studios alleges that a profit-sharing and intellectual property rights agreement was in place with Super Cassettes Industries (T-Series), the other production house involved. According to Cine1, they were entitled to a 35 percent share of profits and intellectual property rights in the film. The lawsuit contends that T-Series proceeded with film-related activities, incurred expenses, and earned box office revenues without Cine1’s approval and without fulfilling the profit-share agreement.

Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi, representing Cine1, argued that T-Series failed to provide information on the film’s revenues, box office collections, music, satellite, and internet rights. He emphasized the lack of respect for the agreement despite a longstanding relationship.

Senior Advocate Amit Sibal, representing T-Series, countered that Cine1 had not invested any money in the film and referred to an alleged amendment in which Cine1 relinquished intellectual property rights for a payment of ₹2.6 crores.

The court adjourned the case to allow Cine1 to address the alleged amendment. Cine1 seeks a stay on the film’s OTT release until T-Series fulfills contractual terms, including profit share, due credits, and disclosure of relevant agreements.