The legal battle over Kangana Ranaut’s next film just got a highly public response. JioStar officially shot back at Phantom Studios over a ₹250 crore lawsuit, aggressively denying that their upcoming movie is a sequel to the 2014 National Award-winning hit. The studio confirmed they will fight the claims directly in the Bombay High Court.
The dispute revolves around intellectual property and the colloquial label of ‘Queen 2’ attached to the project. JioStar released a firm denial, calling the new production an “original, independent story” completely divorced from the original film. They clarified the movie features zero narrative or creative connections to previous works, issuing a statement to shut down early sequel rumors.
Phantom Studios initiated the legal hostility after private settlement talks collapsed. They claim a 50 percent co-ownership stake in all derivative rights to the 2014 original, and they are seeking an injunction to halt the film’s release entirely. The revived Phantom banner, now run by Madhu Mantena and Sheetal Talwar, insists they never granted consent for any sequel or adaptation, triggering the ₹250 crore lawsuit.
JioStar’s defense strategy relies heavily on vocabulary. They argue that “Queen” operates as a common noun in the English language, making it impossible for any single production house to claim exclusive ownership over the word itself.
The highly scrutinized project recently wrapped shooting and sits in post-production. It reunites Ranaut with original director Vikas Bahl, a pairing that practically guaranteed intense speculation from fans and industry insiders.
The original intellectual property carries a messy history with franchise expansions. Back in 2018, four separate South Indian remakes of the film went into production but never saw the light of day. A toxic mix of ownership disputes and censorship hurdles permanently shelved those projects, a pattern Phantom is clearly hoping to replicate in court today.