- Legal notice issued over unauthorised screenings of Karuppu in North India
- Karuppu is a high-budget film starring Suriya and Trisha
- Producers warn public against sharing leaked content and promise legal action
The makers of Karuppu, starring Suriya and Trisha Krishnan, have issued a legal notice after the film was screened without permission in parts of North India. The incident has raised serious concerns about piracy and possible financial losses.
On Thursday, production house Dream Warrior Pictures shared an official statement on X through their lawyer, addressing the issue.
The statement began, "I am the legal counsel for Dream Warrior Pictures, the Production House of the Tamil feature film "Karuppu" and I issue this Public Notice under instructions from and on behalf of my client."
It went on to explain the scale of the project, saying, "My client is the Producer and copyright owner of the film Karuppu, a high-budget feature film starring Actor Suriya, Trishna Krishnan and others, directed by RJ Balaji and with music composed by Sal Abhyankkar and the film is produced with investments running into several hundreds of crores. The film carries substantial theatrical, satellite, OTT, overseas and commercial value and was scheduled for a grand worldwide theatrical release across more than 20 countries and approximately 3,000 screens worldwide."
According to the makers, the issue happened because of the alleged unauthorised activation of KDMs by Qube Cinema Technologies, which led to screenings without the producer's final approval.
The notice added, "It has come to my client's utmost shock and dismay that due to unauthorized and illegal activation of KDMs by Qube Cinema Technologies, certain theatrical screenings of the Tamil version of the film Karuppu were unlawfully exhibited in North India without the final authorization or approval of my client. As a consequence of such unauthorized exhibition, visuals, scenes, clips and other copyrighted portions from the film have been illegally recorded, accessed and circulated through various social media platforms arid digital mediums."
The makers also warned the public against sharing or circulating any leaked footage from the film.
It stated, "It is hereby notified that any downloading, recording, storing, forwarding, sharing, uploading, reposting, transmitting or circulating of any scenes, clips or leaked content relating to the film Karuppu through WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, torrent websites or any other online or offline platform constitutes serious offences under the Copyright Act, 1957, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and the Information Technology Act, 2000. Such acts amount to piracy, copyright infringement and unlawful dissemination of protected cinematographic content and are punishable with severe civil and criminal consequences."
The statement ended with a strict warning: "The general public is therefore strictly cautioned and advised not to download, receive, access, store, circulate, forward, exhibit or share any unauthorized content relating to the film Karuppu in any form whatsoever. Any person found involved in such activities hereafter shall face immediate legal action including civil and criminal proceedings before the appropriate authorities and courts, entirely at their own risk as to costs and consequences."
Karuppu Producer Addresses The Issue
Earlier in the day, producer SR Prabhu addressed the issue during an emergency meeting held by the Tamil Film Producers Council. The meeting was attended by several industry members, including KE Gnanavel Raja, Kalaipuli S Thanu, T Siva, and Kathiresan.
After the meeting, T Siva called the incident "shocking" and questioned how a major film could be screened without the producer's permission. He said Qube had described it as a "human error", but producers have demanded an explanation and compensation.
Meanwhile, the makers are now aiming to release the film on May 15.