The Bombay High Court on Wednesday refused to restrain JioStar India Pvt Ltd from producing or releasing its upcoming film Queen Forever, rejecting an interim injunction sought by Phantom Studios India Pvt Ltd in a Rs 250-crore intellectual property dispute concerning the 2014 Kangana Ranaut-starrer Queen.
A single-judge bench of Justice Sandeep Marne declined to grant temporary relief to Phantom Studios, which has alleged that JioStar is proceeding with an unauthorised sequel despite an agreement granting both companies equal ownership of the original film's intellectual property and derivative rights.
The ruling allows JioStar to continue work on the film for now, although the underlying dispute over ownership, contractual obligations and damages remains pending before the court. A detailed order explaining the court's reasoning is awaited.
๐ฃ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ผ๐บ ๐ฐ๐น๐ฎ๐ถ๐บ๐ ๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ณ๐ถ๐น๐บ
Phantom Studios, a co-producer of the original Queen, has filed a lawsuit seeking Rs 250 crore in damages, alleging that JioStar's development of Queen Forever violates a 2012 co-production agreement and a subsequent deed of novation executed in 2022.
According to Phantom, the agreements establish that the two companies jointly hold equal shares in the intellectual property associated with Queen, including the rights to develop sequels, prequels, remakes, adaptations and other works based on its characters, storyline or creative elements.
The studio contended that the contractual arrangements required both parties to consent to any derivative production. It maintained that it had never authorised JioStar to proceed with a sequel or any project drawing upon the intellectual property of the original film.
Phantom described Queen as a critically acclaimed and commercially successful production that had accumulated substantial goodwill since its release in 2014. It argued that any unauthorised use of the film's identity, characters or other protected elements could affect its commercial interests.
๐ฆ๐๐๐ฑ๐ถ๐ผ ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ด๐ป๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ
In its petition, Phantom Studios said it had issued several cautionary and cease-and-desist notices to JioStar since April 2026, asking the company to halt plans for any production associated with Queen without its written approval.
The studio alleged that JioStar had neither complied with the notices nor disclosed adequate details about the proposed film. It claimed that the production was being advanced without consultation or consent despite the contractual arrangements governing the original film.
Citing reports that Queen Forever was expected to be released within a few months, Phantom sought urgent judicial intervention to prevent what it described as a potential infringement of its rights.
Its application requested an interim injunction restraining JioStar and those associated with the project from developing, producing, shooting, completing, distributing, broadcasting, streaming, marketing or otherwise commercially exploiting the film under the titles Queen Forever, Queen 2 or any related derivative work without prior written permission.
The company argued that allowing the project to proceed could create commercial complications before the court determined the parties' respective rights.
๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฝ๐๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐น ๐ฐ๐น๐ฎ๐ถ๐บ
JioStar opposed the application, rejecting Phantom's allegation that the upcoming film constituted an unauthorised continuation of Queen.
The company maintained that Queen Forever was an original, standalone production rather than a continuation of the 2014 film. It also argued that Phantom had known about the project since April 2025 and had already engaged in correspondence with JioStar, challenging the studio's claim that immediate intervention was necessary.
JioStar informed the court that the film was expected to be released later this year.
After hearing the submissions, Justice Marne declined to grant the interim injunction. The refusal does not amount to a final determination of whether the new film infringes Phantom's intellectual property rights or violates the agreements between the parties.
๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ผ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ฒ๐ฑ
The latest order follows an earlier unsuccessful attempt by Phantom Studios to secure urgent protection against the project.
When the matter was mentioned before the High Court in July, Justice Gauri Godse declined to grant immediate ad-interim relief. Phantom had sought restrictions on JioStar creating third-party rights in the film, including arrangements relating to distribution.
The studio had also referred to a social media post by Kangana Ranaut indicating that filming had been completed. The court questioned the urgency of the request and indicated that the matter would be considered after JioStar submitted its response.
Phantom was permitted to amend its pleadings to include the social media material.
๐๐ฒ๐ด๐ฎ๐น ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐๐๐น๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ถ๐น๐บ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐
Released in 2014 and directed by Vikas Bahl, Queen featured Kangana Ranaut as Rani, a young woman who embarks on a solo honeymoon after her fiancรฉ calls off their wedding. The film earned widespread critical appreciation and became a commercial success, establishing itself as one of Ranaut's most recognised performances.
The proposed new film has attracted attention because of its association with the original production and Ranaut's involvement. However, the legal disagreement centres on whether Queen Forever uses intellectual property protected under the earlier co-production agreements or constitutes an independent work, as JioStar contends.
With the interim injunction refused, the production faces no immediate restriction arising from Wednesday's order. Phantom Studios' Rs 250-crore damages claim and its request for permanent relief remain subject to further judicial consideration.
The dispute is expected to turn on the interpretation of the contractual provisions governing derivative rights and the extent to which the upcoming film draws upon legally protected elements of the original Queen.