We often see people watching pirated versions of recently released movies on their smartphones. It is no longer a surprise to find people travelling alongside you on public transport or at gatherings accessing movies that are still running in theatres on their gadgets. Due to movie piracy, thousands are capable of watching movies illegally—even before many of them have reached OTT streaming platforms.
The makers of Dhurandhar: The Revenge, the most anticipated Bollywood movie of the year, seem to be aware of this threat. While there is little that the makers can do once a pirated version is out, Aditya Dhar and co. seem to have done what they possibly can to safeguard their magnum opus.
The Madras High Court passed an interim order against the unauthorised broadcast and streaming of the film. While the paid previews of the spy thriller were underway on Wednesday, the High Court ruled that internet service providers and cable TV operators cannot broadcast or stream it until 15 April 2026. Thus, even if an illegal copy of the movie is available, operators are now legally forbidden from using it.
Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy passed the order after a petition was filed by Reliance Industries Limited and Jio Studios, news reports said. They submitted before the High Court that piracy at an early stage would lead to the film facing significant losses.
Considering the urgency of the plea in light of the movie's release, the High Court stated that a failure to act could result in "irreversible injury" to the rights holders. Additionally, it observed that the business interests of certain intermediaries could be impacted, news reports said.
Dhurandhar: The Revenge has raked in a little over ₹55 crore in net domestic collections, according to early estimates by Sacnilk. According to market analysts, Dhurandhar 2 is touted to collect ₹100 crore in net domestic collections by the end of the day. It opened to an impressive start, premiering with close to 9,000 shows on Thursday morning. Early reviews from the preview shows of Dhurandhar: The Revenge on Wednesday hint at a runaway success.