Piracy strikes again: TFCC lodges piracy plaint over leaks of 2 new films

Hyderabad: In a fresh blow to the Telugu film industry, two newly released films—HIT: The Third Case and #Single— fell victim to piracy within hours of their theatrical debut, prompting the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce (TFCC) to escalate the matter to Hyderabad cyber crimes police.The TFCC, through its anti-video piracy cell, alleged that high-definition pirated versions of the films were uploaded on notorious torrent sites, raising serious concerns about security lapses in the digital cinema distribution chain. The TFCC lodged a formal complaint with the cyber crimes police station in this regard. The complaint was filed by Yarra Manindra Babu, project head of TFCC's anti-video piracy cell. It details how pirated versions of both films appeared on various websites within hours of their theatrical release. HIT: The Third Case, starring Nani and directed by Sailesh Kolanu, was released on May 1, while #Single, featuring Sri Vishnu and directed by Caarthick Raju, hit theatres on May 9.An HD pirated copy of HIT: The Third Case surfaced online on the night of May 1 on platforms such as www.1tamilblasters.fi and 5moviezrul.com. Preliminary investigations suggest the leak may have originated from UFO Digital Cinema or one of its affiliated theatre chains. The producers had embedded advanced forensic watermarking in all digital cinema package copies to trace such leaks.Similarly, a camcorded version of #Single was found online shortly after its release, appearing on www.5movierulz.haus and www.1tamilmv.fi. However, the exact source of this leak remains undetermined.The TFCC emphasised the severe economic impact of piracy on the Telugu film industry, citing estimated losses of ₹3,700 crore in 2024. "Piracy not only undermines producers' investments but also endangers the livelihoods of thousands of families working in the industry," said Manindra Babu.The police registered a case under various provisions, including sections 66C and 66E of the IT Act, section 318(4) read with 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and sections 63 and 65 of the Copyright Act. A cyber crimes official confirmed that the TFCC has provided specific URLs hosting the pirated content and has urged prompt action to identify and prosecute the culprits.The organisation has also called for an inquiry into the possible role of digital service providers and theatre chains in the leaks. Both films are now available on OTT platforms.