The case of Akhanda 2: How film releases can be hostage to legal tangles
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. In India’s film industry, where timing drives both buzz and box-office, a single last-minute court order can upend an entire release cycle—an industry-wide risk underscored by the recent case of Akhanda 2. The last-minute postponement of Telugu actor Nandamuri Balakrishna’s action adventure film earlier this month, after a Madras High Court order put a stay on its screening following an appeal filed by Eros International Media Ltd, proves that theatrical films continue to fall prey to delays arising from prolonged legal disputes.
While Akhanda 2 did manage to arrive in cinemas a week later, among other instances, the Delhi High Court and Madras High Court had earlier restrained release of the Tamil films Veera Dheera Sooran and Vaa Vaathiyar, respectively, over similar issues. The Akhanda 2 delay is less an outlier than a reminder of how exposed film releases remain to unresolved contractual and financing disputes. Industry experts say such court interventions can immediately disrupt a film’s commercial trajectory.
According to industry experts, any such delay could hike marketing costs by up to 40%, besides putting a pause on sale of other rights such as satellite and OTT. Legal tangles in the run-up to release are becoming common as producers recognize repercussions of copyright arrangements and profit-sharing agreements, among other issues. Co-producers of films such as Animal and Amar Singh Chamkila have also sparred in the past.
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