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Anurag Kashyap Appeals To Everyone Thinking Of Pirating 'Udta Punjab': 'Wait Till Saturday'

Anurag Kashyap's Fervent Appeal To Everyone Thinking Of Pirating 'Udta Punjab' Is Heartbreaking
Indian Bollywood film director Anurag Kashyap addresses media representatives during a press conference organised by IFTDA (Indian Film and Television Directors Association) on the Hindi film Udta Punjab in Mumbai on June 8, 2016.Indian filmmakers have taken a bitter censorship row to court, the latest dispute involving the notoriously sensitive censor board that has renewed fears over creative freedoms. A lawyer told Mumbai's highest court the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had demanded 13 cuts to 'Udta Punjab', a Bollywood movie depicting drug addiction in Punjab state. / AFP / SUJIT JAISWAL (Photo credit should read SUJIT JAISWAL/AFP/Getty Images)
SUJIT JAISWAL via Getty Images
Indian Bollywood film director Anurag Kashyap addresses media representatives during a press conference organised by IFTDA (Indian Film and Television Directors Association) on the Hindi film Udta Punjab in Mumbai on June 8, 2016.Indian filmmakers have taken a bitter censorship row to court, the latest dispute involving the notoriously sensitive censor board that has renewed fears over creative freedoms. A lawyer told Mumbai's highest court the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had demanded 13 cuts to 'Udta Punjab', a Bollywood movie depicting drug addiction in Punjab state. / AFP / SUJIT JAISWAL (Photo credit should read SUJIT JAISWAL/AFP/Getty Images)

If Anurag Kashyap's appeal doesn't deter you from watching the censor copy of Abhishek Chaubey's Udta Punjab, then nothing else will.

The drugs-related drama, starring Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Diljit Dosanjh, and Kareena Kapoor Khan, has dominated news headlines for the past fortnight as its makers fought — and won — a very public battle against the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC, commonly referred to as the 'Censor Board').

On Wednesday, it emerged that a copy meant for the CBFC had been leaked on to the Internet and was available on several torrent websites. By evening, it had been reported widely, and many people had uploaded screenshots on social media, indicating that they'd downloaded and were watching the film. (Kamaal Rashid Khan, popularly known as KRK, was one such enterprising individual. Big surprise.)

While its producers, Balaji Motion Pictures and Phantom Films, swung into action right away, filing a complaint with Cyber Crime cell of the Mumbai Police whilst swiftly taking down links, the film has spread far and wide. There's no stopping it.

In light of this, Kashyap, who is one of the film's producers, posted a status to Facebook on Thursday afternoon where, in a somewhat defeated manner, he urged potential viewers to wait at least till Saturday before downloading the film illegally.

"I have never downloaded a film on torrent, i don't know how to. yes occasionally i have seen downloaded films borrowed from friends and found a way to pay for them later, by buying them on DVD or blurray, and when i say this i also say that no one can stop your right to download a film. This time its a different fight, its a fight against censorship and if you are that audience that always downloads a film, then i won't ask you to not do that , please do, but wait till saturday which is the day you would normally download a film. Piracy happens because of lack of access and in a world of free internet, i do not have a problem with it. My problem is that this time its a case of vested interests trying to demoralise people from fighting for their rights. So all downloaders of Udta Punjab , i urge, wait till saturday till you decide to not pay for the film, don't download and share , curb the curiosity for two more days. Thank you for reading this.

Read the original post here.

Udta Punjab releases in 2000 screens across India on Friday i.e. tomorrow.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.