Leaks happen during post-production, says Pahlaj Nihalani

While the film industry has had to deal with pirated copies of movies cropping up for years now, a new phenomenon of censor copies being leaked has shocked the film industry. After Udta Punjab and Great Grand Masti leaking, the industry was gripped with fear at the news of Dishoom being leaked before it released. Luckily, the leak did not happen.

CBFC chief, Pahlaj Nihalani, who has been in the midst of this controversy, has now claimed that piracy really happens at the post-production stage of the movie. “In the post-production stage, the film is put into dozens of computers as various technicians work on different aspects. Anyone with the new film on his or her computer can make a copy,” said Pahlaj.

As a solution to this issue, Pahlaj suggests legal measures to ensure the leaks don’t happen. “A legal undertaking from the labs, guaranteeing full confidentiality of the film’s content is the only solution. Otherwise piracy will continue.”

The Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has been repeatedly accused of their alleged involvement in the films’ leaks. However, in order to prevent any possibility of leaks from the CBFC, the chief has now stopped submissions of DVDs for censor certification.

This move has not gone down well with the Indian Motion Pictures’ Producers’ Association (IMPAA), which has been sending Pahlaj a series of critical letters. Says the CBFC chief, “By stopping submissions of DVDs for certification, I’m trying to curb piracy. But IMPAA feels I’m creating hurdles for producers and the organisation has been sending me a series of nasty, abusive letters calling me all kinds of names. It’s this lack of unity that has encouraged piracy and brought the film industry on the brink of destruction.”