CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has refused to stay the ambitious re-release of actor Kamal Haasan’s Nayagan, which is scheduled to hit theatres again on the occasion of his 71st birthday.
Finding that no prima facie case of copyright infringement was made out, Justice N. Senthilkumar refused to grant the relief sought by the Karnataka-based SR Film Factory.
The SR Film Factory had filed a civil suit seeking an interim injunction to restrain the movie’s re-release, claiming that it had obtained the rights for the film, including re-release and digital formats, for the period from June 30, 2023, to November 17, 2035, through an agreement with ATM Production, Surabhi Enterprises, and VS Film International, the original rights holders.
Senior counsel M. Sriram, representing the petitioner, submitted that the company had acquired the rights by paying Rs. 60 lakh for re-release in theatres, digital exploitation, and distribution in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka.
He alleged that the original rights holders had suppressed the fact that an agreement was made with the petitioner company and colluded with two other firms—Qube Cinemas and UFO Movies—for the re-release, thereby violating Sections 14(d) and 51 of the Copyright Act.
Advocate Vijayan Subramanian, representing VS Film International, argued that the company was holding a valid license for the movie’s re-release.
He stated that the misconceived suit itself was not maintainable, as there was no copyright infringement, adding that Nayagan is a “cult classic” and the re-release is within the company’s rights.