Films get illegally uploaded online all the time despite several measures to stop piracy. The Hindu on Thursday carried a report revealing 2018’s top 10 pirated Telugu films.
Since 2012, Germany-based company Tecxipio has been keeping track of movies being downloaded and shared across languages. Topping the list of Telugu films pirated in the first half of 2018 is Anushka Shetty-starrer Bhaagamathie. The film has been downloaded and shared 1.9 million times since its release.
The trilingual thriller directed by G Ashok has Anushka Shetty playing IAS officer Chanchala. The film also features Unni Mukundan, Aadhi Pinisetty and Jayaram. Produced by Vamsi and Pramod under the banner UV Creations, the film’s music is by SS Thaman.
Next in line is director Sukumar’s blockbuster Rangasthalam. Starring Ram Charan and Samantha, the film has 1,613,404 P2P downloads and shares.
Charan plays the hearing-impaired Chitti Babu, who is called ‘sound engineer’ by the villagers, because he can ‘see sounds instead of hearing them’. The period film also features Samantha Akkineni, Adhi Pinnisetty as Chitti Babu’s brother, Jagapathi Babu, Prakash Raj and Gauthami.
Speaking about the piracy issue, Tecxipio’s spokesperson revealed: “The major regions observed by Tecxipio of P2P sharing of Telugu movies are India, followed by the US, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, UAE and other West Asian countries. In India, most demand comes from Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Mumbai, in the respective order. Earlier, one-odd film would get accidentally leaked before the release date. But these days, pre-release piracy leaks have become a recurring feature, which is alarming for the industry.”
Here’s the list of the other films pirated this year:
1. Bharat Ane Nenu: 1,613,404
2. Mahanati: 1,499,064
3. Naa Peru Surya, Naa Illu India: 1,260,708
4. Tholi Prema: 1,007,922
5. Chalo: 842,475
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6. Agnyaathavaasi –Prince in Exile: 828,684
7. Jai Simha: 810,964
8. Touch Chesi Chudu: 767,875
Meanwhile, last year’s report revealed that Baahubali: The Conclusion had the most downloads and shares with a tremendous 9.37 million downloads. This was followed by DJ – Duvvada Jagannadhan with 1.7 million downloads on the day of release itself. Arjun Reddy came third with 1.4 million followed by Fidaa with 1.15 million downloads.
Other films on the list were Khaidi No. 150, Ninnu Kori, Nenu Local, Nene Raju Nene Mantri and Raja The Great.