The Hindu Business Line : Telugu film industry seeks transport dept’s help to curb piracy

Hyderabad, May 27 Having identified Chennai as the primary source of piracy of Telugu films, the Telugu film industry has written to the Andhra Pradesh Transport Department and the State-owned public transport utility to keep tabs on smuggling of the DVDs from Chennai and Bangalore.

The letters also sought their cooperation in keeping a whistle on screening of these pirated DVDs and CDs by some transport operators.

“We have identified as many as one thousand small shops in Chennai where the copies of the recently released movies are being made in thousands. The consignments, then, enter into Andhra Pradesh by transport operators, particularly from Chennai and Bangalore,” Mr P. Keshava Reddy, former SP and Chief Co-Ordinator of Anti Video Piracy Cell of AP Film Chamber of Commerce, told Business Line.

Showing the copies of pirated prints of Pawan Kalyan-starrer Jalsa and Krishna (of Raviteja), he said the DVDs, each comprising at least three latest releases, were being sold at a price as low as Rs 10-15, offering a very attractive proposition to the film goers. Interestingly, they carried a Britain address -- which the police claim is a pseudo one.

He, however, admitted that the time-to-copy a new release had definitely increased from 2-3 days a few months ago to at least two weeks now.

The former cop felt that there should be a concerted and continuous effort to tackle this menace. “Recently Motion Pictures Association of America had approached us and wanted mutual cooperation. It is not just the Telugu films, Hollywood movies too are facing the problem,” he pointed out.

The anti-piracy cell, though started in 2005, had stepped up activity of late. “We have so far booked 5,000 cases and got 4,960 people resorting to piracy arrested,” he said.

The anti-piracy activity in the State had got a shot in the arm with the State starting a special court to try the piracy-related cases.

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Telugu film industry seeks transport dept’s help to curb piracy