PRATIK PARAB
pratik@herald-goa.com
The nationwide ban on production, sale and purchase of pirated CDs and DVDs has not stopped the sale of these in Margao. The business actually thrives in the markets of Margao. Movies that were released just last week have already been copied and are on sale by the roadside.
A walk through the Margao markets revealed DVDs with a set of four of the latest movies being sold. Vendors of pirated DVDs and CDs have stalls at Gandhi Market and even ahead till the station road. When Herald sought a latest movie DVD, the vendor produced a sealed packet which had the movies ‘Force 2’, ‘Dongri Ka Raja’, Shaharukh Khan starrer ‘Dear Zindagi” and ‘Tum Bin’. The DVD had an address of an Ahemdabad firm printed on the cover.
Surprisingly, while this trade goes on openly, there has been only one case of piracy that was booked last year by the police, indicating a lackluster attitude of the law enforcement to control this illegality. One year since the last case piracy was registered, not much has changed in the markets of Margao. The illegal business thrives and now, even pirated copies of porn movie are sold on streets of Margao.
When contacted, Margao Town Police station Inspector C L Patil said, “The movie distribution companies have to file a complaint and take objection to this sale. We can take suo moto cognizance and register complaints but when these cases come to court the company representatives don’t appear to be interested in attending the hearing and the case collapses.”
The festive season, when the big banner films are released, is the time when the movie theatres are full and the demand for pirated CDs increases.
Film maker and Entertainment Society of Goa Vice Chairman Rajendra Talak said film piracy is a major offence. “The sale of these DVDs may not be resulting in a major loss to the screening theaters and the movie business. But pirate companies are making crores by doing nothing for the movie,” Talak said.
When Herald took a round of the Margao market, and the streets around, there were about six roadside vendors displaying pirated CDs and DVDs and many more inside the Gandhi Market selling the same. A pirated DVD containing four to five movies is sold for Rs 145 to Rs 150, a price that is much cheaper than a movie ticket which generally works out to a minimum of Rs 140 to Rs 160 in single screen theatres for the deluxe category and 100 to 120 rupees for regular.
“People have to refrain from buying these CDs and DVDs because they are low quality theater prints. The police also have to prevent the sale of these pirated prints,” Talak said.
