Delhi-based Ivy Entertainment has moved the Delhi High Court against its co-producer of the big-budget, multilingual film The Raja Saab, Hyderabad-based People Media Factory Pvt Ltd (PMF), and its directors, seeking a permanent injunction over alleged contractual breaches in the making of the film.
It has alleged in its petition that PMF failed to meet critical obligations including completing and releasing the film on time, providing monthly production updates, disclosing fund utilisation, delivering agreed materials relating to the film and delaying the theatrical release multiple times.
Ivy Entertainment, part of Ivy Holdings, entered into a film rights acquisition agreement and theatrical rights acquisition agreement with PMF on January 25, 2023, and March 10, 2023, respectively. Under these agreements, the media and entertainment company claims, it invested about Rs 218 crore in acquiring worldwide theatrical and non-theatrical rights along with contractual safeguards including guaranteed returns and co-presenter credits.
Alleging delays and material breaches which triggered termination of the agreements, Ivy Entertainment has sought refund of the amount it had invested along with 18% annual interest.
The petition named directors Vishwa Prasad Tumbalam Gooty and Subramanya Vivekananda Kuchibhotla and post-production vendors including Deccan Dreams Animations LLP, Prasad Xtreme Digital Cinema Network, Qube Cinema Technologies and UFO Moviez, seeking directions to them to cease any dealings with the film without Ivy Entertainment’s consent.
The suit before the Delhi High Court seeks the court’s intervention to restrain PMF and its directors from claiming and exploiting any rights, title or interest in the film.
Ivy Entertainment has argued that it intends to finish production of the movie and release it to protect its investment.
According to recent updates, The Raja Saab is expected to be released in January 2026. The film, which is a horror-comedy and stars pan-India star Prabhas, has a massive budget of more than Rs 400 crore. It was expected to compete with big Hindi films such as Dhurandar and Romeo in December this year.
Producers are of the view that the delay in the film’s release might actually benefit the film as it would reduce competition and boost box-office collection.
“The solo release of The Raja Saab will benefit the film as it reduces the competition with Hindi films. At present, two key factors work for the film. One is the film's genre. Horror comedy genre is the flavour of the season, " said producer Rajesh R Nair, known for Hindi films such as Kaminey and Adipurush. “Another factor which works for the film is actor Prabhas’ box-office appeal. He is a pan-India star given the historical record of his films at the box office. I think the film has the potential to open big at the box office as a solo release.”
Ivy Entertainment has invested more than Rs 1,500 crore in south Indian films in the past three years.
It has alleged in its petition that PMF failed to meet critical obligations including completing and releasing the film on time, providing monthly production updates, disclosing fund utilisation, delivering agreed materials relating to the film and delaying the theatrical release multiple times.
Ivy Entertainment, part of Ivy Holdings, entered into a film rights acquisition agreement and theatrical rights acquisition agreement with PMF on January 25, 2023, and March 10, 2023, respectively. Under these agreements, the media and entertainment company claims, it invested about Rs 218 crore in acquiring worldwide theatrical and non-theatrical rights along with contractual safeguards including guaranteed returns and co-presenter credits.
Alleging delays and material breaches which triggered termination of the agreements, Ivy Entertainment has sought refund of the amount it had invested along with 18% annual interest.
The petition named directors Vishwa Prasad Tumbalam Gooty and Subramanya Vivekananda Kuchibhotla and post-production vendors including Deccan Dreams Animations LLP, Prasad Xtreme Digital Cinema Network, Qube Cinema Technologies and UFO Moviez, seeking directions to them to cease any dealings with the film without Ivy Entertainment’s consent.
The suit before the Delhi High Court seeks the court’s intervention to restrain PMF and its directors from claiming and exploiting any rights, title or interest in the film.
Ivy Entertainment has argued that it intends to finish production of the movie and release it to protect its investment.
According to recent updates, The Raja Saab is expected to be released in January 2026. The film, which is a horror-comedy and stars pan-India star Prabhas, has a massive budget of more than Rs 400 crore. It was expected to compete with big Hindi films such as Dhurandar and Romeo in December this year.
Producers are of the view that the delay in the film’s release might actually benefit the film as it would reduce competition and boost box-office collection.
“The solo release of The Raja Saab will benefit the film as it reduces the competition with Hindi films. At present, two key factors work for the film. One is the film's genre. Horror comedy genre is the flavour of the season, " said producer Rajesh R Nair, known for Hindi films such as Kaminey and Adipurush. “Another factor which works for the film is actor Prabhas’ box-office appeal. He is a pan-India star given the historical record of his films at the box office. I think the film has the potential to open big at the box office as a solo release.”
Ivy Entertainment has invested more than Rs 1,500 crore in south Indian films in the past three years.
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