The origin of pirated prints of Indian movies is complex, as piracy operates through both domestic and international networks, making it difficult to pinpoint a single country as the primary source. However, evidence suggests that piracy involves activities within India and extends to countries with significant Indian diaspora populations. What are the likely piracy hubs in the world?
What is happening on the front of Sree Vishnu's Single might help us do some guesswork. Says Venky BO (a trade tracker), "Sree Vishnu's movie was only released in the key overseas markets for Telugu (North America, the UK, and Australia). Gulf and Singapore, among other markets, were skipped as part of a plan to confirm suspicions on where piracy print is coming from. To date, a quality pirated print of Single hasn’t emerged. This confirms the suspicions." Single was released in theatres on May 9.
While quality prints are suspected to emerge from overseas markets like the Gulf, a significant portion of low-quality pirated prints originates within India, often through camcording in theaters. For instance, pirated copies have been traced to theaters in small towns in states like Tamil Nadu and Bengaluru, where individuals use smartphones, camcorders, or projectors to record films.
