Mumbai:
Three corporate executives vested with the responsibility of safeguarding the master print of
What's Your Rashee? have been arrested in Mumbai for pirating the film.
The arrest has opened up a shocker for the film industry which has so far focused on the outside hand and is now being forced to look at the moles within.
"The arrest of two corporate executives, along with a third co-accused, has firmly put the spotlight on the corporate source of film piracy," said Nirav Shah of Adlabs.
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Shah and Nagda were responsible for overseas distribution of Bollywood films while Rajesh Chaudhary, an associate vice-president of UFO Moviez, was responsible for digitising them before release.
In response, a shocked UTV, the producer of the film, has slapped a notice on Adlabs Films and UFO Movies seeking Rs 100 crore in damages.
UFO Moviez says it has sacked the employee in question and is considering legal implications.
"We will now take a call if the claim is binding on us," says Kapil Agarwal, Joint MD, UFO Movies
So far, those arrested in piracy cases have been foot soldiers or those found selling them.
Not surprising then that the arrests have shaken the industry.
"We are shocked. We will call a meeting of our producers and figure out how to plug the leaks in the system," said producer Mukesh Bhatt
"Investigators are now looking at the Pakistani angle to the piracy trade. They say evidence shows that the prints travel across the border. From there they travel across the globe, said Rakesh Maria, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime).