Akshay Kumar's 'Kesari 2' hit by piracy hours before release
What's the story
The much-awaited film, Kesari: Chapter 2, featuring Akshay Kumar, R Madhavan, and Ananya Panday, hit theaters on Friday.
While it garnered positive feedback from audiences and critics alike, the film unfortunately fell prey to piracy.
Hours before its official theatrical release, it was leaked online on multiple pirated film sites.
According to Times Now, the film was available in several formats: 1080p, 720p, 480p, 360p, 240p, and HD versions.
Piracy trends
'Kesari: Chapter 2' piracy trends on various platforms
The keywords associated with the movie like "Kesari 2 Movie Download," "Kesari 2 Movie HD Download," "Kesari 2 Tamilrockerz," "Kesari 2 Filmyzilla," "Kesari 2 Telegram Links," and "Kesari 2 Movie Free HD Download" topped the trends on these platforms.
However, searching for or accessing leaked versions on pirated sites comes with serious risks. Users may unknowingly click on suspicious links that lead to malware, data theft, or financial scams.
More importantly, downloading pirated content violates copyright laws.
Actor's appeal
Kumar's plea to fans amidst piracy concerns
The film's makers are yet to issue an official statement on the piracy issue.
While Kumar didn't directly speak about piracy, he did request his fans to keep their phones away while watching the film.
At a press conference, he said, "I humbly request you all to please keep your phones in your pockets and listen to every dialogue of this film. If you try to check your Instagram, it will be a humiliation for the film."
Film synopsis
'Kesari: Chapter 2' plot centers on historic legal battle
In Kesari: Chapter 2, Kumar plays lawyer-nationalist Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair, who dared to speak against the British Empire after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
In 1922, Nair published a book called Gandhi and Anarchy. In that he criticized Michael O'Dwyer for his role in Punjab.
Following his removal, O'Dwyer returned to England and filed a defamation lawsuit against Nair.
The case was taken up by the High Court in London—a pivotal event that will be the focus of Kesari 2.