Karuppu, the much-anticipated Tamil movie starring Suriya, was slated to release worldwide on May 14. However, the film didn’t release on the scheduled date, with shows being cancelled across Tamil Nadu at the last minute, allegedly due to the financial troubles of the production banner, Dream Warrior Pictures.
Now, it has emerged that though the film wasn’t released in Tamil Nadu and other southern states, it was inadvertently played in several film theatres in northern states due to the illegal activation of Key Delivery Message (KDM) by Qube Cinema Technologies. Clips posted on social media showed the film being screened inside theatres.
Legal notice issued
Following this, Dream Warrior Pictures issued a legal notice restricting the illegal circulation of the leaked content on online or offline platforms.
“It has come to my client’s utmost shock and dismay that, due to unauthorised 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 authorisation or approval of my client,” the notice read.
The notice added that downloading, recording, storing, forwarding, sharing, uploading, reposting, transmitting or circulating the leaked content would amount to piracy, copyright infringement and unlawful dissemination under the Copyright Act, 1957, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and the Information Technology Act, 2000.
Producers Council seeks Rs 150 crore compensation
Hours after Dream Warrior Pictures’ notice, the Tamil Producers Council issued a letter to Real Image Technologies Pvt Ltd, the film’s Qube Service Provider, seeking compensation for the losses suffered by the producer.
“Such an incident has never happened in the history of Tamil cinema. We condemn this. It is disappointing to know that this has led to a state of insecurity for the content owned by the producers. Due to the negligence of your company, the producer of Karuppu has suffered a loss of Rs. 150 crores,” the letter read.
Alleging that none of the executives of Qube got in touch with the council, the letter added: “If your management fails to adhere to the same, the members of the producers council would unite together and refrain from offering any support to the Qube Service Provider.”
Film’s release remains uncertain
Fans of Suriya who were awaiting to see the film on Thursday were in for a shock as morning, noon and matinee shows were cancelled. Writer-director RJ Balaji, who has shouldered the project for over two years, apologised to fans and assured them that the film would release in the evening. However, the film wasn’t released even then.
According to several ticketing platforms and distributors, the film may finally release on May 15. Featuring Trisha as the female lead and Balaji in a pivotal role, Karuppu also stars Indrans, Natty, Swasika and others. The film is produced under the Dream Warrior Pictures banner.
The unprecedented leak has sent shockwaves through the Tamil film industry, raising serious questions about content security protocols and the liability of technical service providers.
