Two upcoming Tamil films, ‘Ayalaan’ starring Sivakarthikeyan and ‘Aalambana’ starring Vaibhav, have landed in legal trouble as a production company has filed a case against their makers. TSR Films Private Limited has sought an injunction from the release of both the films, which are produced by KJR Studios. The Madras High Court has granted an ad interim order of injunction on December 12, 2023, until further notice.

‘Ayalaan’ is a science fiction film directed by R. Ravikumar, featuring Sivakarthikeyan as a scientist who befriends an alien. The film has music by A.R. Rahman and is slated to release on January 12, 2024, for Pongal. ‘Aalambana’ is a fantasy comedy film directed by debutant Pari K Vijay, featuring Vaibhav as a man who gets help from a genie played by Munishkanth. The film also stars Parvatii Nair as the female lead and is scheduled to release on December 15, 2023.

The reason behind the legal dispute

According to the petition filed by TSR Films, the company had entered into an agreement with KJR Studios in 2019 to produce three films, including ‘Ayalaan’ and ‘Aalambana’. The agreement stated that TSR Films would provide 50% of the budget for each film and share the profits equally with KJR Studios. However, the petition alleged that KJR Studios had breached the contract by not involving TSR Films in the production process and not disclosing the actual budget and expenditure of the films. The petition also claimed that KJR Studios had sold the satellite and digital rights of the films to third parties without the consent of TSR Films.

The petition further stated that TSR Films had invested Rs. 25 crore in ‘Ayalaan’ and Rs. 10 crore in ‘Aalambana’ and sought an injunction from the release of the films until the dispute is resolved. The petition also demanded an account of the income and expenses of the films and a share of the profits as per the agreement.

The response from KJR Studios

KJR Studios, on the other hand, has denied the allegations made by TSR Films and said that the company had no role in the production of ‘Ayalaan’ and ‘Aalambana’. The studio said that TSR Films had only agreed to provide a loan of Rs. 10 crore for ‘Ayalaan’ and Rs. 5 crore for ‘Aalambana’ and that the loan amount had been repaid with interest. The studio also said that TSR Films had no rights over the films and that the injunction order was obtained by misrepresenting the facts.

KJR Studios has expressed confidence that the injunction order will be vacated soon and that the films will release as per the schedule. The studio has also assured the fans of Sivakarthikeyan and Vaibhav that the films will not be affected by the legal issue and that they will be able to enjoy the films in theatres.