‘Web’ of gloom

Yet another case of piracy has shocked the world of Bollywood as Sudhir Mishra’s latest Tera Kya Hoga Johnny was leaked online on YouTube in January, much before its due date — April. Also, here is a quick flashback: Remember 3 Idiots that was available online a day before its release (movie got released in the US two day before its release in India) and Slumdog Millionaire that had found its way to every movie buffs house before it was released in India.
Even, promos of the much-awaited film Kites has found its way to the Internet. While cine goers want to watch flicks as soon as possible with minimum effort, serious security lapses from production houses have also taken place. Who is to be blamed, Gen Y or the fact that filmmakers do not take adequate precautions? Let’s find out.
“You can’t preach, just practice,” is what Sumit Mukherjee, a techie says. According to him, filmmakers can’t change the ideology of the entire nation and so, they should just be careful. “Sudhir Mishra needs to figure out why only his movie got leaked and fix the problem,” says Sumit. Moreover, film lovers want to watch their favourite movies as soon as possible. “If I find a movie online much before its release date, I watch it. If the movie is to my liking, I watch it again in theatre,” he adds.
“It’s is not always our fault,” says Himanshu G, a techie. “Remember Slumdog Millionaire? By the time AR Rahman won awards, the movie was already in theaters abroad. However, in India, it was released much later. How can filmmakers expect movie buffs to wait that long? All of us had seen the English version of Slumdog before it was released in India,” he says. According to him, filmmakers need to keep various factors in mind while deciding a film’s date of release. “If we are expected to wait for months before watching an Indian movie that the whole world is talking about, then I am sorry we do not have that kind of patience,” he adds.
Worried about piracy? Who cares! Yes, some youngsters have this attitude as they download their favourite movies. Bhimsen Joshi (name changed), a student downloads three movies a week. “I don’t even feel guilty as my friends, juniors and seniors do the same. In fact, we make fun of people who buy dvds or watch movies in theatres,” he says.
However, filmmakers and directors believe that they work hard for making a film. “People should realise that many families depend on the film industry and filmmakers also have a lot at stake. Also, as a team we need to be more careful about security lapses. Unless there is mutual effort from both sides, piracy will continue to dominate the film industry,” says director Abhaya Simha.
While youngsters complain that they cannot buy dvds worth Rs 600 and filmmakers justify their points of views; let’s hope that they reach a conclusion soon.