'Animal' lands in legal trouble days ahead of Netflix release

Ranbir Kapoor's film Animal is facing legal turmoil just days before its scheduled release on Netflix on January 26. The controversy revolves around a dispute between T-Series, one of the main producers of the film, and Cine 1 Studios Private Limited, which claims to be a co-producer of Animal, as per News18. 

Cine 1 Studios has filed a case in the Delhi High Court, alleging that T-Series has not honored the profit-sharing agreement outlined in the 2019 Acquisition Agreement and an associated amendment agreement. The production house contends that several clauses of these agreements were breached, leading to the legal action. As a result, Cine 1 Studios is seeking a stay on the release of Animal on Netflix and challenging the announcement of the sequel, Animal Park.

The case was brought before Justice Sanjeev Narula on Monday, where Cine 1's lawyer, senior advocate Sandeep Sethi, argued that his client received no information about the film's revenues from box office sales, digital, and satellite rights, claiming they "have not been paid even a single penny." Cine 1 also asserts a 35% profit share and intellectual property rights from Animal.

In response, T-Series' lawyer, senior advocate Amit Siba, contended that Cine 1 had no investment in the film and accused them of concealing vital information from the court. The lawyer presented documents indicating that the parties had executed two agreements in August 2022 as amendments to the 2019 Acquisition Agreement. T-Series claims to have paid Rs 2.6 crore to Cine 1, a fact allegedly concealed by the latter.

The court proceedings revealed a lack of awareness on Cine 1's part regarding the payment, prompting the lawyer to pledge to investigate and inform the court accordingly. As the legal battle unfolds, the fate of Animal's Netflix release hangs in the balance, adding an unexpected twist to the film's journey to the audience.

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