Salman Khan fans help ‘Sikandar’ team remove 3,000 pirated links; makers to take legal action as Cyber Cell tracks IP addresses |
‘Sikandar’ which marks Bollywood superstar Salman Khan‘s return to the big screen after Tiger 3, opened in theatres on Sunday, amidst much hype and anticipation. However, sadly for the film, prints of the action flick were available for download on various piracy handles.
Just hours before AR Murugadoss’ directorial venture hit theatres on March 30, a high-definition (HD) version of the film surfaced on social media platform X, prompting swift action from the makers, fan clubs, and Mumbai Police’s cyber cell department. In a coordinated effort, Sajid Nadiadwala’s production house, Salman Khan’s dedicated fan clubs, and law enforcement authorities managed to pull down over 3,000 links hosting the pirated version.
According to a report by Mid-Day, Nadiadwala’s production house has already flagged over 1,000 accounts to the authorities. The report states that both Salman and Sajid have been in constant touch with the cybersecurity team and their legal advisors, along with social media platforms to stop the spread of the pirated copies online. “The original source of the leak remains unidentified, but authorities are actively tracking the IP addresses linked to its dissemination. Legal action will be taken against those responsible,” read the report.
Ravi Desai, head of the Salman Khan Fan Club on X, stated that warning signs emerged days before the release, when an account posted an unseen image from the film, claiming they would release the movie online. While the account disappeared soon after, on Saturday at 11:30 PM, another account leaked the film. Besides leaking on torrent websites, it also leaked on X. “By midnight, it was everywhere,” Desai recalled.
According to the report, within half an hour, the fans and the production house collaborated with Mumbai Police’s Cyber Wing to track down offending accounts on X and Telegram. “3,000 links have been removed so far,” Desai confirmed, adding, “We believe the leak originated from the post-production end.”
The Sikandar had a rather average opening at the box office, raking in an estimated Rs 26 crore. All eyes will be on Monday’s box office to see if the Eid holiday helps boost the numbers.
