Telugu film industry continues to face a daunting task in containing the piracy scourge which has been badly impacting the revenues of films and turning out to be a big bane for buyers. Recently, Ram Charan’s big-ticket film Game Changer faced the wrath of this menace as a high quality print was leaked online in just two days after its release. This has dented the film’s run during the crucial festival season and resulted in massive losses for its distributors.
Now, Naga Chaitanya’s Thandel is the latest victim of piracy. Quite shockingly, the pirated copy was leaked on the very first day of the film’s release. The HD print of Thandel was available by Friday evening, much to the shock of netizens and the movie team. It is very disappointing that culprits were able to capture a high resolution version of the film in just few hrs and release it immediately by evening.
Already, the idea to release films on OTT platforms after a few weeks of their release showed considerable impact on the long run in theatres. And, the piracy menace will further eat into the revenues at the ticket windows. If this goes unchecked, the footfalls might continue to decline in the coming days even for marquee films despite the initial hype and hysteria.
Previously, low quality prints used to be leaked after a few days of theatrical release and there was only minor impact on the revenues. But, the scenario is completely different now as good quality prints are made available on the release days itself. This will have serious complications if necessary steps are not taken by the producers of film industry. It is high time more stricter and corrective measures were in place to tackling the issue.
The rise of HD piracy on the very first day of a film’s release is proving to be a new cancer for the Telugu film industry. As films like Game Changer and Thandel fall victim to this menace, the long-term impact on box office revenues is becoming undeniable. What was once a delayed threat with low-quality prints now takes a more aggressive form with high-definition leaks within hours of a film’s release. This rapid piracy is undermining the industry’s growth, jeopardizing the livelihoods of those involved, and threatening the very foundation of the theatrical experience. If left unchecked, this modern-day scourge could cripple the industry and leave irreversible damage.
