‘Spirit’ Title Row Intensifies

The title dispute surrounding Prabhas’ much-awaited film Spirit has taken a new turn, with the makers of the smaller film titled Spirit Is Not One alleging that they are facing pressure to halt their release and remove promotional material.

According to a member of the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce, the title Spirit was registered in Mumbai by the makers of the Sandeep Reddy Vanga directorial starring Prabhas, while the producers of Spirit Is Not One had registered their title with the Vijayawada Telugu Film Chamber. The overlap has now triggered a dispute between the two parties.

Addressing a press conference, Spirit Is Not One producers Venkateswarlu and Narasamma asserted that they had no intention of changing the title of their film. They maintained that they had complied with all legal requirements.

The producers claimed the controversy had created uncertainty around their film’s release. Certain objections were raised through legal notices, while certain statements made through media platforms suggested that the film could proceed, leading to confusion.

While some industry observers view the dispute as a genuine grievance over title rights, others believe it could be an attempt to leverage the popularity of a high-profile project.

Trade analysts point out that for nearly two years, the title Spirit has been closely associated with Prabhas and director Sandeep Reddy Vanga.

“Given the scale of the project and its prior visibility, the makers of Spirit appear to be in a stronger position. Most believe the issue will eventually be resolved without affecting the film,” says a trade expert.

Earlier, the title of the Mahesh Babu-Rajamouli film Varanasi was disputed by a local director who had registered that name. But he hasn’t commenced the film yet. “The Varanasi title will go to Rajamouli eventually, since the other person has not even commenced his film. The deadline is next month. If that’s not met, he will lose the rights over the title,” says a source.