Kangana Ranaut’s upcoming film Queen 2 has reportedly become the centre of a legal dispute shortly after completing production. Phantom Studios has moved the Bombay High Court with a Rs 250 crore lawsuit against JioStar, alleging that the film is an unauthorised sequel to the 2014 hit Queen and infringes upon the intellectual property rights associated with the original film.

Kangana Ranaut's Queen 2 lands in legal trouble as Phantom Studios files Rs 250 crore lawsuit against JioStar

Kangana Ranaut’s Queen 2 lands in legal trouble as Phantom Studios files Rs 250 crore lawsuit against JioStar: Report

The sequel reportedly reunites Kangana Ranaut with filmmaker Vikas Bahl and recently wrapped filming. The project is now believed to be in post-production ahead of its planned release.

Phantom Studios alleges intellectual property infringement

According to a report by Mid-Day, Phantom Studios claims it owns 50 per cent of the intellectual property rights to Queen, including the rights to develop any sequels or derivative works based on the film.

The production house has alleged that it never granted permission for Queen 2 to be developed and has therefore challenged the project in court.

The publication quoted a source saying, “Their non action is what has led to Phantom Studios suing them for infringement. There was even a public notice put out and multiple communications sent to Vikas and JioStar as well, informing them before this step was taken.”

The lawsuit reportedly alleges that Queen 2 has been developed without the consent of one of the original rights holders.

Production house says repeated communications went unanswered

The report further suggested that Phantom Studios attempted to resolve the issue before approaching the court. According to insiders, discussions and settlement efforts between the two sides did not result in an agreement.

Another source claimed that the studio decided to initiate legal proceedings after learning that filming on Queen 2 had been completed.

The legal action is also said to follow a public notice issued by Phantom Studios in April. In that notice, the company stated that it had not authorised any adaptation, sequel or derivative work based on Queen.

What Phantom Studios claims about Queen’s rights

Released in 2014, Queen became one of the most acclaimed Hindi films of the decade. Directed by Vikas Bahl, the film earned widespread praise and won two National Film Awards, including Best Actress for Kangana Ranaut.

The original film was jointly produced by Viacom18 Motion Pictures and Phantom Films, the banner founded by Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, Madhu Mantena and Vikas Bahl. Although Phantom Films was dissolved in 2018, it was revived as Phantom Studios in 2021.

Phantom Studios now maintains that it continues to own a 50 per cent stake in the intellectual property of Queen, giving it the legal right to approve or reject any sequel based on the original film.

As of now, neither JioStar nor the makers of Queen 2 have publicly responded to the reported lawsuit.

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