The pirated copies of the Kamal Haasan-starrer Papanasam directed by Jeethu Joseph have become available on the web and that too only three days after its release. The film, a remake of Malayalam blockbuster Drishyam, has been receiving excellent reviews since its release on last Friday.
Jeethu became aware of the pirated copies when he received links from friends and well wishers. He says, “I immediately informed the movie’s producer Suresh Balaji and forwarded the links to him, and he in turn informed a private agency which was already monitoring cyber space for any such pirated copies being uploaded.”
Though those links could be removed, fresh uploads of the pirated copies online have prompted the team to launch a complaint with the Cyber Cell and anti piracy wing of Tamil Nadu. Jeethu, who has been very pained by the turn of events and states, “As long as there are mobile phones and people do not have a conscience, this menace will continue to grow. It is not possible to catch the person who originally uploaded the links on cyber space; what can be done is to nab the buyers of such pirated CDs or the people who download these links. My belief is that a buyer as well as the seller of illegal goods is equally responsible; so when people who buy pirated CDs are caught, the public at large may understand that it is not worth the trouble.”
Only a creator can understand the hard work and countless hours that have gone into giving shape to a celluloid dream. Jeethu opines, “Strict rules should be in place to make sure that uploading and downloading pirated links is punishable and is a crime. When some perpetrators are nabbed, it will serve as an example and a deterrent to others; that is the only solution I see. Other than that what can be done is to block the links or make it inaccessible.”
Jeethu signs off saying that piracy has become a cruel pastime where links have been uploaded with the sole intention of creating trouble and harming the film’s prospects.
