Madras HC Puts Drishyam 3 Telugu OTT Release On Hold Over Rights Dispute

Drishyam 3 OTT Release: The film is streaming on Amazon Prime Video only in Malayalam, Tamil and Kannada following the Madras HC order.

Drishyam 3 has completed its theatrical run and is available to stream on OTT.

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Key points generated by AI, verified by newsroom

• Madras High Court halts Drishyam 3 Telugu OTT release.
• Interim injunction issued over copyright dispute for Telugu rights.
• Filmmakers challenged dubbing, claiming ownership of Telugu rights.
• Telugu dubbed version now unavailable on streaming platforms.

The OTT release of Drishyam 3’s Telugu-dubbed version has been put on hold after the Madras High Court issued an interim injunction in a copyright dispute over the film’s Telugu rights. The order restrains the makers from releasing the dubbed version on OTT platforms until further hearings in the case. 

What Did Madras High Court Say?

Justice K Kumaresh Babu passed the interim order after observing that the respondents failed to appear before the court despite being served notice. In its order, the court said, “It is to be noted that, in spite of service of private notice on them, none of the respondents has entered an appearance or is present before this Court. Their names have also been printed in the cause list.”

“In such view of the matter, there shall be an order of interim injunction, restraining the Respondents/Defendants, their servants, agents, employees, assignees, licensees and everyone claiming under or through the Respondents/Defendants from exploiting the copyrights of the applicant by releasing the same in the OTT Platform,” it added. 

Why Has Film Landed In Legal Trouble?

The dispute revolves around the Telugu rights to the Drishyam franchise. The first two Malayalam films were officially remade in Telugu as Drushyam in 2014 and Drushyam 2  in 2021, both starring Venkatesh. However, instead of producing a Telugu remake for the third instalment, the makers chose to dub the original Malayalam film into Telugu for its OTT release.

Filmmaker Sripriya, who directed the first Telugu remake, along with Rajkumar Sethupathi, has challenged this decision, claiming ownership of the Telugu rights and seeking to restrain the release of the dubbed version.

Drishyam 3 OTT Release

Drishyam 3 was released in theatres on May 21 and enjoyed a successful box office run. The film is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, where it is currently trending at No 7. However, following the Madras High Court's interim order, the Telugu-dubbed version is not available on the platform. At present, the film can be streamed in Malayalam, Tamil and Kannada.

About Drishyam 3

The third and final chapter of the Malayalam Drishyam franchise is set around four-and-a-half years after the events of Drishyam 2. Georgekutty believes he has finally managed to outsmart the system, but a fresh investigation threatens to unravel everything he has fought to protect. As new evidence emerges, he is once again forced to rely on his wit and meticulous planning to safeguard his family.

The film stars Mohanlal as Georgekutty, alongside Meena, Ansiba Hassan and Esther Anil, who reprise their roles from the previous instalments. Directed by Jeethu Joseph and produced by Antony Perumbavoor, Drishyam 3 brings the acclaimed thriller franchise to its conclusion.

According to Sacnilk, the film earned around Rs 15 lakh on Day 28, taking its total India net collection to Rs 110.13 crore.

The Hindi adaptation of Drishyam 3 is expected to release in theatres this October.