Lucifer and Kanchana 3 pirated versions leaked by Tamilrockers: Is cyber cell obsolete?

Pirated versions of Malayalam blockbuster 'Lucifer' and Tamil movie 'Kanchana' has been released by Tamilrockers online. Even though the pirated version of 'Lucifer' was released three weeks after its release, the camera print of 'Kanchana 3' has hit online just hours after its theatrical release. It should be also noted that the pirated version of Telugu movie 'Jersey' which was released on April 19 is also available to download in the Tamilrockers website.

As the pirated full movie copies of 'Kanchana 3' and 'Jersey' has been leaked online, the collections of these films will be affected very badly in the coming days. On the other hand, 'Lucifer' is expected to emerge as an industry hit in Mollywood, but the release of the camera print may result in a drastic dip in collections from now on.

A couple of days back, a Kerala man who works in Saudi Arabia had uploaded a Tik Tok video that shows him watching the pirated print of 'Lucifer'. In the video, the man can be seen saying that the film is not worth a watch, apart from three goosebump moments. As the video went viral on the online space, Aashirvad Cinemas, producer of 'Lucifer' lodged a police complaint and tracked the whereabouts of the man who uploaded the video.

"People have the rights to criticize a movie after watching it in theatres. However, this man named Askar Ponnani who is currently working in Saudi Arabia has uploaded the video after watching the pirated print. This is something unacceptable, and these acts literally shatter the entire film industry. Kerala Police has already taken a case against him, and they have contacted the Saudi Arabian authorities to locate the place in which he works. Strict actions will be taken against Askar Ponnani once he lands in Kerala," Aashirvad Cinemas wrote on their official Facebook page.

Even though cyber cell in India is taking strict actions against sites like Tamilrockers to curb piracy, these sites are still active and are uploading pirated copies of movies in different languages within hours of its release. Earlier, cyber cell authorities have made sure that torrenting sites like these are not accessible for people who use Indian IP numbers. However, many people are still accessing these pirated sites using VPN (Virtual Private Network).

If the police and judiciary fail to nab and punish the culprits behind piracy, it will finally result in the ultimate end of the Indian film industry, as cinema is also a business which solely depends on box-office collections.

'Lucifer' is directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran, and it stars Mohanlal in the lead role. Apart from Mohanlal, the film also stars Manju Warrier, Vivek Oberoi, Tovino Thomas, Kalabhavan Shajon, Baiju Santhosh and Saikumar in other prominent roles. The film which is a political thriller has already grossed more than Rs 115 crores at the box office. 

On the other hand, 'Kanchana 3' also known as 'Muni 4' is a Tamil horror thriller directed by Raghava Lawrence. The film stars Raghava Lawrence, Oviya, Vedhika, Nikki Tamboli, Kovai Sarala and Soori in lead roles.