5 Bollywood films that were leaked online

Anurag Kashyap’s Udta Punjab is hopping from one controversy to another. The film, which was cleared by the CBFC after weeks of controversy, has now been leaked online, two days prior to its release. Udta Punjab landed into a tussle with the censors after the board raised its disapproval over the film’s content.

The filmmakers dragged CBFC to court, where the Mumbai High Court passed the film with just one cut in contrast to the 89 cuts suggested by the censor board chief Pahlaj Nihalani. After the film’s leak online, Udta Punjab's filmmakers have registered a complaint with the cybercrime cell. Bollywood, too, urged the audience via Twitter to watch the film in theatres, and got #PiracyDiMaaDi to trend.

Also read: How listening to Udta Punjab songs on Kashmir's roads set me free

Piracy has become a raging concern for Indian filmmakers. Here’s a look at five major Bollywood films that were leaked online days before its scheduled release:

Paanch [2003]

Anurag Kashyap's debut film never saw an official release. The CBFC had objected to the film’s content which featured violence, drug abuse and coarse language. Set to release in 2003, the film was leaked online in 2010. Paanch is loosely based on 1976-77 Joshi Abhyankar serial murders in Pune.

Paa [2009]

The internationally acclaimed film was leaked on various online platforms on the very day of its release. The film, directed by R Balki, is about Auro (played by Amitabh Bachchan) who suffers progeria, a rare genetic disorder. The film went on to win a National Award.

Tera Kya Hoga Johnny [2010]

The Neil Nitin Mukesh, Soha Ali Khan, Kay Kay Menon and Shahana Goswami starrer Tera Kya Hoga Johnny was leaked well before its official release. The film was initially supposed to be released in 2008, but was delayed till 2010. The film’s release was further pushed when portions of the film were leaked on YouTube while the film was still in post-production stage. Sudhir Mishra, the director of the film filed an FIR. Tera Kya Hoga Johnny was finally released on December 31, 2010.

Also read: How should India certify noir cinema in times of Udta Punjab?

Manjhi [2015]

Nawazuddin Siddique’s much awaited Manjhi also suffered at the hands of pirates. Thousands of copies of the film were downloaded and shared a few days before its release on August 21, 2015. Although loved by viewers, the film saw only 10-12 per cent occupancy in theatres, as a result of the online leak. Manjhi is loosely based on the life of Dhashrath Manjhi, who carved a road in the middle a mountain to make it easy for his fellow villagers to travel.

Mohalla Assi [2015]

This Sunny Deol starrer has been stuck in controversy since a long time. After a stay on the film by a Delhi court, the film was leaked online in mid-2015. The film was embroiled in a tussle for over three years with the censors after raising objections on the content of the film. Mohalla Assi is based on the popular Hindi novel, Kashi ka Assi. It is a satire on commercialisation of pilgrimage cities in India. The film was stayed on June 30, 2015 after it was said that it hurts religious sentiments.