MUMBAI: The online piracy menace continues to plague Bollywood as it does other film industries. The newest victims to succumb to it are Om Shanti Om and Saawariya. While it has only been three days since the two big ticket movies hit theatres, the duo have been available online for free viewing since yesterday (13 November).

Various piracy propagating websites have already uploaded the movie in parts for free viewing by online users. And this is not all; these site owners have been smart enough to also provide the surfer with multiple options of various other sites where the film is available.

The business is so streamlined on these websites that initially any available print is put up, which is then replaced as and when a better print is uploaded. Additionally the business is more widespread than earlier as now small time bloggers upload these links as well, thus enabling more people to access these sites.

When Businessofcinema.com queried Eros International chairman and CEO Kishore Lulla at an earlier conference as to what measures were being taken to prevent piracy, he said, “We have contacted the police in the UK, US and the rest of the world. Also, our lawyers are working on it to ensure legal action can be taken so that piracy for Om Shanti Om doesn’t happen. All the prints have been watermarked so that we can know the source.”

Additionally, it is pertinent to note that during the release of Spider-Man 3, Sony Pictures Entertainment had taken stringent measures so as to prevent the movie from finding its way on the world wide web. And it had succeeded to a great extent during the film’s release in preventing the same. However, in the case of Saawariya, the same cannot be said as the movie has found its way on the web soon after its release.

What’s more, the level of piracy doesn’t just stop there; it extends to the music of these films as well. While the film releases at a later stage, the music is available to online users as soon as it hits music stores. In certain cases the music was available online way before its official release. If piracy itself is not enough these sites tom-tom about their skills, by telling their viewers that they were the first to make the same available.

While profitability is still an underlying issue being tackled in the film industry, movie and music piracy further make the scenario difficult. Tracking them is also an issue as most often the hosts of these sites keep changing. 

Recent releases – Jab We Met, No Smoking, Mumbai Salsa and Bhool Bhulaiyaa are just a few more films that have been made available by these pirates.

Related stories:
Jab We Met & No Smoking available free online

SRK’s Om Shanti Om music in piracy grip