Piracy is no longer about cheap DVDs being sold on sidewalks. While technology is helping Bollywood make better films, it is also helping pirates get a leg up on their game. And the recent case of Sudhir Mishra’s film, Tera Kya Hoga Johnny, which has been uploaded on Youtube, is a strong case of piracy getting bolder and uglier.
The long-delayed film was slated to release in May 2010 and was also going to be dubbed in English for the international audience. After being screened at several film festivals across the world, the Neil Nitin Mukesh and Soha Ali Khan starrer, was sitting in the cans for almost two years, awaiting release.
However, three months before the film’s scheduled release, it was leaked on the Internet by an unknown user sending the industry in a tizzy. Director Sudhir Mishra remained unavailable for comment.
The production house, Medient, has initiated quick action. A copyright infringement complaint has been formally filed with Youtube and the site has been asked to block the content. They have also taken up the issue with Google India. A formal complaint has been filed at the Cyber Crime Police Station of Mumbai police to block the access to sites that have posted the torrents of the film.
This is not the first time that Bollywood is battling with piracy. Big B’s’ Paa met with a similar fate on Youtube. “This is one of the curses of technology. We asked YouTube to remove Paa, but nothing was done. Sadly there is no way we can stop it,” Amitabh said recently. Another film that was uploaded on YouTube even before it’s release was Anurag Kashyap’s debut directorial venture, Paanch. The film has been lying in the cans for more than five years now.
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