Kangana Ranaut’s upcoming film, Queen Forever, has cleared a legal battle. The Bombay high court on October 14 refused to stall the film’s production, turning down Phantom Studios’ plea that called it an unauthorised sequel to the 2014 hit, Queen.
Phantom Studios India Pvt. Ltd. had sought a temporary injunction against JioStar India Pvt. Ltd. to stop the film’s making, production and release. Like Queen, Queen Forever is also being directed by Vikas Bahl.
Phantom’s plea alleged that Queen Forever breached a 2012 co-production agreement and a 2022 deed under which Phantom and JioStar (earlier Viacom18) were joint and equal owners of the intellectual property rights in Queen. Phantom told a single-judge bench of Justice Sandeep Marne that JioStar could not produce a sequel of Queen without its (Phantom’s) consent. It also informed the court that it had not granted permission to JioStar to produce a sequel.
Phantom emphasised the urgency of the matter as the sequel was reportedly due for a release in the coming months. It sought an order restraining JioStar and its representatives from making, developing, producing, shooting, completing, releasing, distributing, broadcasting, streaming, marketing, promoting, advertising or otherwise exploiting a sequel, prequel, remake, adaptation or derivative work under the titles Queen Forever or Queen 2 without its prior written consent.
However, the court refused to grant temporary injunction to Phantom.
