Mimi, the Hindi film starring actor Kriti Sanon, was released on OTT on Monday, four days prior to the official release date, after the film was leaked on Telegram and other online platforms earlier the same day.
The makers of the film, which was slated to premiere on Netflix and Jio Cinemas on July 30, said the decision to advance the release was meant as a gift to producer Dinesh Vijan and Sanon, who celebrate their birthdays on July 26 and July 27, respectively.
The film’s advance release was revealed when Sanon took to Instagram for a live session on Monday. In the session, Vijan announced that the film would be released early as a birthday gift to the actor.
However, sources from the industry have informed Silverscreen India that the film got leaked on the instant messaging platform Telegram and with this leaked copy going viral online, Netflix India and the makers decided to release the film early. Copies of the film, in full HD, were available on numerous pirate sites and Telegram on Monday.
Silverscreen India has reached out to Maddock Films and Jio Cinemas for clarification, but is yet to receive a response.
Directed by Laxman Utekar, Mimi also stars actor Pankaj Tripathi. Inspired by the 2010 Marathi movie Mala Aai Vhhaychy, the film follows the story of a small-town girl who has big dreams of becoming an actor. Due to an unexpected situation, she decides to be a surrogate mother for a foreign couple.
The Marathi film, directed by Samroudhhi Porey, had won a National Award for Best Feature Film in Marathi in 2011.
Recommended
Meanwhile, Sanon will next be seen in Farhad Samji’s Bachchan Pandey alongside Akshay Kumar and Om Raut’s Adipurush. She has also finished shooting for the upcoming horror comedy Bhediya, which co-stars Varun Dhawan in the lead. The film is slated to release on April 14, 2022.