Madras High Court halts OTT release of 'Drishyam 3' Telugu version

CHENNAI: Just a day before its scheduled digital premiere, the Telugu version of the highly anticipated thriller Drishyam 3 has hit a major legal roadblock. The Madras High Court has issued an interim stay on its OTT release following a lawsuit filed by production house Rajkumar Theatres Private Limited.

The legal clash traces back to long-standing agreements tied to the blockbuster franchise. Following the massive box-office success of Mohanlal's original Malayalam film Drishyam in 2013, Rajkumar Sethupathi, owner of Rajkumar Theatres, secured the exclusive Telugu remake rights. This led to the 2014 hit Drushyam, starring Daggubati Venkatesh and directed by Sripriya—a project famously put together on the personal recommendation of Kamal Haasan.

When Drishyam 2 arrived in 2021, its Telugu adaptation was mounted as a joint venture, co-produced by Antony Perumbavoor’s Aashirvad Cinemas, Suresh Productions, and Rajkumar Theatres.

Claims of copyright violation

In the current petition, Rajkumar Theatres contends that under their previous binding contracts, they hold exclusive rights to any Telugu-language remakes or distribution within the Drishyam universe.

The production company argues that even if a separate, standalone Telugu remake wasn't explicitly filmed for this third instalment, streaming a Telugu version—including a dubbed format—on an OTT platform without their consent is a direct violation of copyright law.

In an effort to block the release entirely, Rajkumar Theatres moved the court against the primary stakeholders behind the film's production and distribution. The legal action directly names Aashirvad Cinemas' Antony Perumbavoor, director Jeethu Joseph, Panorama Studios, and Pen Studios as respondents. The petitioner has requested a global injunction, asking the court to restrain these parties from releasing the Telugu version of Drishyam 3 anywhere in the world without prior authorisation. With the High Court granting the interim stay, the streaming rollout of the film's Telugu version remains completely frozen pending further legal proceedings.