Following the online leak of Udta Punjab, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap on Thursday made an impassioned plea to the movie buffs across the country not to download and share the film co-produced by his firm, till Saturday, even as CBFC chief Pahalaj Nihalani denied that the Censor Board had any role in the online leak of the film.
A day before the release of Udta Punjab in theatres across the country, Kashyap said in a Facebook post:”So all downloaders of Udta Punjab, I urge, wait till Saturday till you decide to not pay for the film, don’t download and share, curb the curiosity for two more days”.
Alluding to online leak of Udta Punjab, Kashyap wrote on his Facebook page: “I have never downloaded a film on Torrent, I don’t know how to. Yes occasi-onally I have seen downloaded films borrowed from friends and found a way to pay for them later, by buying them on DVD or blurray, and when I say this I also say that no one can stop your right to download a film”
“This time it’s a different fight, it’s a fight against censorship and if you are that audience that always downloads a film, then I won’t ask you to not do that, please do, but wait till Saturday which is the day you would normally download a film,” the filmmaker stated.
Denying his organisation’s role in the online leak of Udta Punjab, Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC) chairman Pahlaj Nihalini said: “Just ask the producers why they are blaming us....the allegations are baseless”.
“Whenever CBFC screens a film for certification, it’s the producers who arrange everything in preview theatre. CBFC never possesses the film at any point,” Nihalani said.
Kashyap, the founder of Phantom Films that has co-produced the film along with Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Motion Pictures, said that the issue was being investigated and he would extend all cooperation. “I am not an expert, Pahlaj Nihalini is not an expert, you (journalists) are not experts, let the cyber crime cell of the Mumbai Police investigate the matter,” he said.
Meanwhile, Karan Johar tweeted on Wednes-day night: “Please watch #UdtaP-unjab in the cinema this weekend! Don’t succumb to online leaks!! An honest film needs an honest audience.... Viruses in the #UdtaP-unjab links! Anyone downloading it will have a virus attack!! What a way to combat this awful piracy!”
“It’s a film from the heart made for you all. And now it’s in your hands. #piracydimaadi make it count you all. love and gratitude... And for those who have no conscience welcome to the #udtavirus most links will make your phone crash,” film’s lead actor Shahid Kapoor tweeted late on Wednesday night.