One of the most anticipated films of 2018, Thugs of Hindostan was released worldwide on Thursday. Even as reviews for the same are average, the film made it to the web in a pirated form, as website Tamilrockers leaked the film, which shocked and surprised many.
Tamilrockers website is known for hosting pirated versions of films. Thugs of Hindostan starring Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Katrina Kaif and Fatima Sana Shaikh has become the latest victim of online piracy as one could download the full movie for free hours after it hit the screens.
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Following the leak, fans have been urging authorities to take action against the site. Tamilrockers had previously released the pirated version of Tamil superstar Vijay’s Sarkar, which prompted the Tamil Film Producers Council (TFPC) to seek a ban on carrying mobile phones inside theatres.
TFPC has now urged theatres to prevent people from recording films on their phones at least.
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Thugs of Hindostan, which had created a buzz with its trailer, was released across 5,000 screens in India and 2,000 screens overseas. The Vijay Krishna Acharya directorial, however, emerged as a disappointment. Film critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh described the film as a “golden opportunity lost”.
However, this is not the first time a Bollywood film has been hit by piracy, which affects the overall box office performance.