Piracy of new films: K'wood takes the matter to the exhibitors

Among the different threats Kollywood faces, piracy is a major one. The situation is dire now as within a few hours of the film's release in theatres, pirated copies of the same are available online, as well as in the market. With pirated copies of recent releases like 24, Theri, Pencil and Ko 2 already out, the makers of these films have decided to take on theatre owners, from where the first copy has been recorded.On Friday, the team of 24 revealed that they have traced a pirated copy of the film to a particular theatre in Bengaluru. In fact, that theatre has been the source of piracy of films like Theri, Bangalore Naatkal and Inji Iduppazhagi as well. Now, the producers are seeking an explanation from the exhibitors.
KE Gnanavel Raja, the producer of 24, says, 'Initially, I had planned to go on a hunger strike to bring this issue to light, but the office bearers of Tamil Film Producers' Council (TFPC) assured me that they will take action against the erring theatre owners immediately. What's worse is along with 24, other films (mentioned above) have also been recorded in the same theatre in the past ' PVR at Orion Mall, Bengaluru. How is that possible without the help of the theatre owners? We have now asked for an explanation from them and the theatre chain's head will be coming from Mumbai to meet TFPC representatives and discuss the piracy issue. If we find the theatre guilty, we will definitely take action against them.'
Gnanavel adds that they have also found out that pirated copies of Jayam Ravi's Bhoologam and Karthi's Thozha were recorded at Nayanthara Theatre in Krishnagiri and ATSC Theatre in Pollachi, respectively.
Recently, actor Vishal had filed a complaint about Vijay's latest film being played illegally on a private bus enroute Bengaluru to Chennai. The actor issued a statement which read, 'One of the passengers from the bus informed me about how Theri was being played on this bus. I asked him to film it and send it to me, and then filed a complaint with the anti-piracy cell officer, Jayalakshmi, about the incident. The bus was stopped near Maduravoyal and the driver was immediately arrested.' The actor has also announced that he will be watching out for pirated copies of his upcoming Marudhu and force TFPC to take action.