Where terror ends, film piracy begins in Punjab

Although the controversial Hindi Film "Jo Bole So Nihal" has been put out almost all over the country, in Punjab, from where the controversy generated, markets are flooded with pirated CDs of the film.

"You can find the CDs at the local markets of Phagwara Gate, Bains Market and even at the posh market of Model Town, but only after paying at least double the amount of pirated CDs of other new Hindi films," a shopkeeper who runs a CD parlour told this correspondent on condition of anonymity.

After a survey of the market, it was found that CDs of the controversial film are selling briskly at high prices and even the shopkeepers were finding it difficult to meet the high demand.

Market sources say at least 20,000 pirated CDs of the film have been sold in the last two days. Normally VCDs of Hindi movies are rented out for around Rs 20 a day but a film of Nihal Singh's (Sunny Deol's) bravery was not easily available at the rent of Rs 50 per day, sources added.

When contacted, district police chief Ishwar Singh said he had asked a superintendent to make raids, and nobody would be allowed to sell the pirated CDs of the film, which has already been removed from the cinema halls of the countries because of the controversy.

As far as film is concerned, it generated controversies well before its release and somehow it got released after a clean chit from the High Court.

Later, the Akal Takhat directed the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to form a committee to review the movie. The SGPC, after watching it, raised objections and demanded a ban on the film.

Obeying the Sikh's supreme body, the SGPC's demand distributor withdraw the film from the theatres of Punjab, Chandigarh and Haryana.

But later on after twin bomb blasts in the theatres of Delhi in which three persons were killed and several injured, the movie was withdrawn from most of the theatres all over the country.