Hindi
Big Pictures goes all out to curb Kites piracy
MUMBAI: Days before a film releases, illegal DVDs of the film normally make their way to pirate vendors on the streets. This week, however, movie buffs could not get their hands on a DVD of the Hrithik Roshan starrer Kites in Mumbai and some parts of the country.
That‘s on account of Reliance Big Pictures‘ countrywide initiative to curb piracy of the film in states like Gujarat, New Delhi and the NCR region. The distributor has been conducting a major exercise to counter piracy in these areas.
Avers Reliance Big Pictures VP Sanjay Tandon: “We have appointed six agencies in Mumbai and one each in Gujarat, Delhi and the NCR region respectively and have seen to it that there is no piracy of our film in these places. Knowing clearly well that piracy cannot be erased but can be controlled; we are trying our best to control piracy of our film.”
An anti-piracy initiative, known as the Anti-Piracy Coalition, between big Indian production houses like Reliance, UTV, Eros, Studio 18, Yash Raj Films and the US-based Motion Pictures Distributors Association (MPDA) was announced at FICCI Frames held in Mumbai earlier this year. “This is the first film to be monitored as part of the Anti Piracy Coalition,” reveals Tandon.
A. A. Khan of A. A. Khan & Associates is one of the agents keeping a close watch on bootleggers in Mumbai. Says he: “This time, the surveillance against pirates is at its optimum best. We have increased our manpower who have gone all over the place as investigators. In this regard, I thank the SS branch of the Mumbai police who have been on their toes to help us in our initiative.”
Just last week, the SS branch of the Mumbai police along with AA Khan & Associates seized close to 15,000 pirated copies of recently released Hindi and Hollywood films.
Hindi
Dhurandhar 2 hit by YouTube leak amid record box office run
Cam-rip surfaces online but blockbuster streak continues at record pace
MUMBAI: It has been a dramatic week for Dhurandhar: The Revenge. Even as the espionage thriller smashes box office records, a piracy scare briefly threatened to steal its thunder after a full-length version surfaced on YouTube.
The leak emerged on March 30 via a channel titled “A2z movie”, which uploaded what appeared to be a cam-recorded print of the film. Clocking in at nearly three hours and 49 minutes, the footage was reportedly blurry but complete enough to spark spoilers and fan outrage online.
Soon after, users on X began flagging the issue, explicitly naming the “A2z movie” channel in their posts while tagging the film’s makers and urging swift legal action. Fans of director Aditya Dhar and lead star Ranveer Singh were particularly vocal, helping the issue gain rapid traction.
Within hours, the video was taken down, likely through a mix of platform detection systems and intervention by producers Jio Studios and B62 Studios.
Despite the leak, the film’s theatrical run remains virtually unshaken. As of March 31, the sequel has raked in an estimated Rs 872.17 crore net in India, with worldwide collections soaring to Rs 1,392.23 crore. Its Hindi opening day alone brought in Rs 102.55 crore, setting a new benchmark.
In a notable milestone, the film has matched Pushpa 2 as the fastest Indian release to cross the Rs 1,000 crore mark globally, achieving the feat in just seven days.
Interestingly, the version leaked online is believed to be an earlier cut. Midway through its theatrical run, the makers issued revised prints after eagle-eyed viewers spotted a fleeting editing error involving a cameraman’s reflection. The corrected version now plays across cinemas, adding an unusual twist to the film’s release journey.
Directed by Aditya Dhar, the high-stakes sequel stars Ranveer Singh alongside Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal and Sara Arjun. The film has drawn praise for its scale and action sequences, though some critics have pointed to its intense violence and layered political themes.
For now, piracy may have made noise, but it has not slowed the juggernaut. If anything, the episode underlines the film’s cultural grip, proving that even a leak cannot derail a box office storm already in full force.
