Karuppu leaked in certain parts of North India ahead of theatrical release, makers initiate legal action

Karuppu leaked in certain parts of North India ahead of theatrical release; the makers have initiated legal action

There seems to be no end to the troubles for the team of Tamil film Karuppu. On Thursday, the film was screened without permission in certain parts of North India. The film stars Suriya and Trisha Krishnan in the lead. The makers of Karuppu have now issued a legal notice to those who allegedly screened the film theatrically. 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."

Explaining the scale of the project, the statement further said, "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 appealed to 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 unauthorised 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."

Kuruppu 9 am show cancelled in Tamil Nadu

Meanwhile, the film's 9 am shows in Tamil Nadu on Thursday were cancelled despite CM Vijay permitting them. The makers reportedly underwent some issues and could not screen the film till evening.

Director RJ Balaji also addressed fans on X. "Dearest fans, I don't have a concrete answer to the current situation. Producers are doing their best to solve the hurdles. This film has always had its hurdles, and somehow God has made us sail through them all, and here we are after 32 months. This time as well, I have faith, complete faith in him," he wrote.

In another video, Balaji appeared emotional and stated that the first show of the film would be screened at 6 pm.

The film has already reportedly collected Rs 7.2 crore through advance bookings for Day 1.

Why were Karuppu’s 9 AM shows cancelled despite CM Vijay’s permission?

Karuppu producer holds emergency meeting

Earlier in the day, producer SR Prabhu held an emergency meeting with Tamil Film Producers Council on how to tackle the issue. The meeting was attended by several industry members, including KE Gnanavel Raja, Kalaipuli S Thanu, T Siva, and Kathiresan.

Post meeting, T Siva called the incident "shocking" while speaking to the press 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.