MUMBAI: With an aim to combat rampant piracy in the market, Percept Picture Company along with PVR Cinemas has embarked on a movement against the menace.
The initiative is being spearheaded by Percept Picture Company managing director Shailendra Singh and PVR Cinemas’ managing director Ajay Bijli.
An effective two-minute audio-visual clip on the anti piracy campaign will be screened across of 70 PVR theatres in the country. This initiative has been taken so as to educate and increase the awareness level to the masses against the growing virus of piracy.
The clip will be shown over 40 times a day at regular intervals in PVR Cinemas across the country. The campaign has been conceptualized and directed by Ogilvy and Mather senior creative directors Rensil D’ Silva and Anup Chitnis.
The documentary focuses on the alarming growth of piracy in India and its ill effects. Piracy is one of the gravest issues that the entertainment industry needs to deal with on a priority basis. This audio-visual campaign is the beginning of a powerful movement against piracy to educate, increase awareness and awaken everybody from the producer to the director, distributor and exhibitor and also the viewers and the accused pirates.
Singh said, “Piracy is like a menacing domicile sword which hangs on every film makers head. Though there have been serious initiatives undertaken by the film fraternity, judiciary and the government to curb piracy, the epidemic has been growing every minute. We at PPC in our own way want to spread this message as effectively as possible. We are also in constant talks with various partners from within and outside the industry to join us in this awakening journey.”
Though the problem of piracy has been in existence for the last two decades, it has emerged as an engulfing menace in the last five years or so. Last year pirated content copying and distribution cost the industry Rs 40 billion (Rs 4000 crores) in revenues. The Indian audio-video market shows that the VCD/DVD/MP3 segment is growing at an explosive pace of almost 300 per cent.
Bijli added, “We appreciate this path breaking initiative by PPC against piracy and we are glad to partner them in this noble cause. PVR Cinemas will constantly support in every way possible to make this industry piracy free.”
Indian Music Industry & Phonographic Performance Limited president Vijay Lazarus said, “Piracy is a menace that is ruining Indian creativity. Each time one buys a pirated product, one is killing the culture of our country. This needs to stop. IMI supports PPC in this venture. Buy original.”
Sony & BMG managing director Shridhar Subramaniam adds, “The music industry welcomes this effort by PPC. Piracy needs to be tackled by all the constituents who produce, market, distribute or consume entertainment and we are very happy that PPC is the first film production company to undertake such a massive effort.”
