Netflix pushes back Hotel Mumbai release in India due to lawsuit

The streaming giant, alongside Arclight Films International and four other companies, are being sued by South Asian regional distributor, Plus Holdings, over rights to the Anthony Maras film.

Dubai-based Plus Holdings claims that it acquired the rights for India in a deal with the film’s financier Xeitgeist. It alleges that its deal was illegally cancelled, in order for the rights to be licensed instead to the streaming giant.

Plus has begun proceedings in the Bombay High Court to prevent the screening and to retrieve the rights. Also named as respondents are Singapore – and Australia -based film financier Xeitgeist Entertainment, 5th Dimension, Hotel Mumbai Private Limited, and Electric Pictures. An arbitration court in Singapore has already begun a hearing, but it has not yet come to a decision.

Netflix had announced a slate of eight original productions being sourced from India back in November, including “Hotel Mumbai”. At the time, Netflix said that it planned to screen the film in the nine South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries that include India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Hotel Mumbai premiered at the Toronto festival in September last year. The film presents a fly-on-the-wall perspective inside the Taj Hotel during the November 2008 terror attacks which left 160 people dead.

The film stars Dev Patel, Armie Hammer, Anupam Kher and Jason Isaacs. It is currently set for a New York and Los Angeles platform release on 22 March, with a nationwide outing from 29 March.