Piracy hits Jodhaa Akbar

The pirated version of Jodhaa Akbar is ready to release in Pakistan today, though the theatrical release is yet undecided. Pirates there are likely to make huge profits of Rs 25 crore. Pakistan, the biggest player in churning out pirated films for the first time, has smuggled the camera print of Ashutosh Gowariker’s magnum opus from cinema halls based in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. A record six lakh copies of Jodhaa Akbar (VCD and DVD) will hit the Pakistan piracy market today. Sadaf Video, reportedly owned by Karachi-based don Chhota Shakeel who will be distributing the pirated DVDs and VCDs of the film in Pakistan, is expected to make profits to the tune of Rs 25 crore from the film. The three hour-20 minute long film has been severely chopped by 45 minutes to fit dual VCD and DVD pack, also set to hit the piracy markets in India on Sunday evening. Aslam Siddique Hussein, a key trafficker in Karachi, UAE and Bangladesh, says, “We had to bank on the Indian pirated market this time. Generally we outsource the prints from abroad (UAE and Malaysia), but the crystal clear DVD (overseas) prints will at least take a week or more. We can’t wait.”