Does Online Piracy Affect Kollywood?
The latest issue of Kumudam Reporter (free registration required) has a cover story on how online piracy is affecting Kollywood. It goes on to say that such sites are hosted overseas and even WHOIS information is not available, which makes it difficult for the cops to proceed against such offenders. It stops one short of naming the chief perpetrator. It just says that the site has a heavy Srilankan tinge to it and offers all the latest movies.When Google Video was launched, there were reports about how Hindi films were available for free on Google Video. Top banners like Yash Raj Films took this up with Google and they immediately cracked down on such things. The Indian movie fraternity has not had much success in combating internet piracy. New sites (promoted by anonymous people) offering free movie and music downloads keep cropping up from time to time. With the recent spate in launch of video sharing sites like YouTube and Metacafe, producers are going to find it increasing difficult to police the net. Even recent releases like Something Something Unakkum Enakkum and Thimiru are available easily on the net.
In the movie trade, the box-office collection in the first 2/3 weeks determines the movie's fate. Although online piracy will eat into the producer’s profits (especially in overseas markets where high-speed internet connections are a common thing), I still feel that it might not alter the fortunes in a big way. The availability of a pirated VCD on the 10th / 15th day is not going to mean much, when a hit movie is expected to break-even before the second weekend.
Do you agree?
Do you agree?
posted by Kaps at
11:50 AM
9 Comments:
When our producers make crap movies that have item song, ganaa song, comedy track to woo audience from Free-TV areas, how do you expect any guy who own a thing called a computer (with internet) and five senses to go to the theater and watch these abominations.
These deserve it. Let them make a decent movie first.
By
Anonymous, at 11:42 PM
Some thoughts:
1. One probable reason for online piracy could be the lack of good multiplexes ,atleast in Chennai.Somehow many of the so called Movie Theaters in Chennai offer a very poor movie viewing experience and ambience
2. Why dont producers embrace technology and release encrypted VCDs of Movies, price at Rs 50 or so? Or else, the producers could sponsor a common pay website and host the movies say 90 days after movie release, so that everyone is happy?
By
Anonymous, at 12:49 AM
yeah i see all padams osi, online. I would not watch them if they are not for free. so well..
By
I, at 1:09 PM
it costs 11$ a tix. 15$ for gas and snacks. it takes 1/2 a day trip to the movies.for 2 to watch a movie.. it costs more than 35$. after all that most movies are crap and they steal story/scene etc from other movies..
it doesn't make us to justify piracy.
but producers should make it easily available in todays world
one more thing is, movies are disposable. after 35$, and movie is crap.. i cant get the money back!!
By
Anonymous, at 8:03 AM
Though movies are available in web still the proportion of population which uses PCs and sees movies online is limited in India/chennai. Its not a great concern for producers (village markets are always there). The video piracy does affect a section of movie goers (middle income decently employed people in early 30s).
Definitely its not worth to watch certain movies in online. For example, if you watch Jurassic park in online, its not possible for you to really appreciate the movie.
1. The theatres have a big role to play here to create a good ambience to watch movie.
2. The movie makers should make family entertainment movies. I dont think any family sit together to watch movie online.
I have read an article in another book, which says the digital form of movies cannot be copied easily using camera (camera print). They can be broadcasted from one single place (Chennai) to any theatre in any part of the world using Satellite technology.
By
upps, at 5:35 PM
i guess the tamil industry doesnt feel the heat of online piracy as much as vcd piracy.
By
Nandhu, at 5:50 PM
These online movies are mostly seen by the population in US, or any place outside India. I was surprised to find that VV is available online and the print is also pretty good.
By
Yadayada, at 3:56 AM
This online piracy thing will/ might affect only big budget movies, which are the ones that slightly depend on revenues from overseas markets and as everyone agrees, this online movies thing is happening mostly outside the country.
Some reasons why these sites have becomes more popular (these are applicable atleast in the US):
1) Very few Tamil movies get screened in theaters here
2) Even the DVDs of the new movies take a long time (anything between 20 days to 2 months) to reach the local Indian stores.
It is really surprising that we do not have too many similar sites for downloading Hindi movies. And the original DVDs of Hindi movies are available in a few days' time, after the release of the movie. May be, thats the way to go for Tamil movies too. I thought Kamal mentioned this in an interview before Virumaandi was released.
By
Filbert, at 7:11 AM
ha ha.. this is really good ..
first of all, most of these movies have such ORIGINAL storylines, songs and screenplay !!! and they are worried about piracy !
finally I know what the fine line between plagiarism and piracy is !
:)
By
Unknown, at 12:05 PM
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