Copyright Case On Ramayana: What’s Cooking?

Recently, the leaked pictures of Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi, who are playing Lord Rama and Sita in the upcoming “Ramayana” being directed by Nitesh Tiwari of Dangal fame, have caught the attention. But now, the former producers of the film, Allu Arvind and Madhu Mantena, have sent a public legal notice to the current producers. 

A notice sent by Allu Mantena Media Ventures LLP asserts that Prime Focus Technologies Limited has not acquired the intellectual property rights to the film, despite discussions between the two parties.

According to the notice, Prime Focus Technologies allegedly sought to acquire the rights to the script and other materials associated with “Ramayana” in April 2024. However, the agreement was contingent on a certain payment which has not been made. The notice further states that Allu Mantena Media Ventures LLP will take necessary steps to protect their copyright.

‘Ramayana’ itself is a free-to-make script available in the market, as it happens to be an epic known for Indians for thousands of years. Many are wondering what exactly is this copyright claim in the first place. When the film is based on an epic, written by Valmiki and other writers like Kavayitri Molla, why are these producers claiming copyrights is the question. Let’s see what happens.