Piracy claims its latest victim in 'Roohi,' available for download
The makers of Roohi have an unfortunate situation at hand. The film, which released yesterday, already has its pirated versions circulating on torrent websites for download. Websites like TamilRockers, Movierulz, etc., which facilitate illegal distribution of copyrighted material, are carrying HD prints of this horror-comedy. Notably, it's the first big budget venture to hit theaters since the government eased pandemic-related restrictions on cinema halls.
'Bombay Begums', 'AK vs AK' were also victims of piracy
Piracy, though a punishable offense, has become fairly common in the Indian subcontinent. Even after rigid rules and guidelines in place, many movies like Bombay Begums, Lahore Confidential, Putham Pudhu Kaalai, Sufiyum Sujatayum, AK vs AK, Laxmii, Ashram 2, Ludo, Chhalaang, Dark, Rasbhari, Bulbbul, Paatal Lok, Aarya, Penguin, Gulabo Sitabo, Money Heist, and many others fell prey to piracy websites.
Despite court action, piracy still out of control in India
The courts in India have repeatedly taken action against these piracy sites. In 2019, the Delhi HC had banned 30 torrent websites. A year earlier, it was the Madras High Court, which cracked down 12,000 sites to curb piracy. However, among the banned sites, TamilRockers alone has access to 2,000 of them. Despite such actions, they return with a different proxy server every time.
'Roohi' is a part of Dinesh Vijan's horror-comedy universe
Roohi has been produced by Dinesh Vijan and directed by Hardik Mehta. It stars Janhvi Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao and Varun Sharma in lead roles, and comes in line after Stree. Kapoor plays the role of a witch who abducts new brides soon after their weddings, while Rao and Sharma, are village boys shown to have shouldered the responsibility of saving the victims.
The Janhvi Kapoor-Rajkummar Rao starrer is garnering poor reviews
Though the trailer of this movie looked promising, Roohi has not struck a chord with the critics. The film has, so far, earned poor reviews with many slamming the script and acting of the lead cast. Some also questioned the regressive traditions shown in the film, while others commented it lacked the comic element when compared to its 2018 blockbuster predecessor, Stree.
