Bollywood rallies for “Udta Punjab” after leak

After much-awaited drug drama “Udta Punjab” was unexpectedly leaked online on Wednesday, two days before it hit the theatres yesterday, actor Aamir Khan and the film's stars Shahid Kapoor and Alia Bhatt tweeted asking fans to watch it in theatres. Khan and filmmaker Karan Johar also spoke to the media about the issue on Thursday.

Screenshots of the movie have been doing the rounds of social media since Wednesday, after a torrent file of the film was supposedly leaked.

Speaking at a press conference in Ludhiana, actor Aamir Khan told reporters: “I am not sure whether it was a CBFC copy. But if it's a censor copy then it's a shame on CBFC, it reflects very badly on them. Piracy is an issue, which we all have been fighting for a very long time. I am quite excited about the film and eagerly waiting for it. It's a good decision by the Bombay High Court. I will be watching it here because I am shooting now.”

Bollywood celebrities spoke up against piracy. In their tweets, Shahid, Alia, filmmaker Karan Johar, actors  Arjun Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha, Shraddha Kapoor, Richa Chadha, Bipasha Basu, Siddharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan urged all to snub piracy, and support the film by watching it in theatres.

At a press conference in Mumbai on Thursday, Karan Johar told reporters that it would be 'illegal' to watch Udta Punjab online. “I would request all -- please do not watch the leaked film online. Filmmakers make the films with a lot of hard work, passion and energy and to watch it on any other format other than the format that it was designed to be is incorrect, illegal. Please watch it in cinema halls and not online,” said Johar.

Abhishek Chaubey's “Udta Punjab” recently won a battle with the Censor Board after the Bombay High Court ruled that the film be released with a single cut on June 17. Co-produced by Phantom Films and Ekta Kapoor's Balaji Motion Pictures, “Udta Punjab” stars Shahid as a drug-addicted rock star and Alia as a Bihari migrant. The movie deals with the issue of drug abuse in Punjab and features Kareena Kapoor as a doctor and Diljit Dosanjh as a cop.