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| Edited By: Sajid Khan |Source: DNA |Updated: Aug 10, 2016, 12:50 AM IST
A tragic thing happened yesterday. I bumped into my 19-year-old neighbour under my building and felt like offering my condolences to him. This boy, who’s always spirited and full of life was looking sad, depressed and lost. I asked him if the problem was studies, drugs, girlfriend, acne or other teen-related issues. “None,” he gestured.
My heart sank when I saw this usually joyful bundle looking more Udhas than Pankaj. “Tell me your problem, Armaan. Perhaps, I will be able to help you,” I told him. “Life is over, Saaj,” he whispered. “Torrentz is shut permanently. I’m lost. What’ll happen now?” he said teary-eyed. Good Lord! Blistering barnicles!! Vaat lagi dhande ki, hawa tight bande ki!!! Ek Torrentz ke shutdown ke baad mera dost shutdown ho gaya! “It’s not the end of the world,” I told him.
“It is,” he said. “And it’s your film industry which is to blame”, he added. “Infinite supply of latest movies, Hollywood and Bollywood, games, music, TV shows, all free! Gone forever now. Why is your film industry so mean?’, he complained. My anger had reached boiling point and before I knocked him on his head, I decided to put some sense in it. After all, he is just another regular teenager. And if he is feeling that way, I am sure a large part of the youth must be feeling the same way.
‘Tell me, Armaan, would you like it if every day hundreds of strangers borrowed your bike without telling you, in front of you and there was nothing you could do about it? Would you like it if a large part of your father’s monthly earnings was taken away by thousands of strangers in front of your eyes and there was nothing any of y’all could do about it? Would you like it if everyday people came and abused your mother and eve-teased your sister and there is nothing you could do about it? I am sure you wouldn’t, right? It’s the feeling of absolute helplessness. The feeling of complete injustice, the feeling of being part of a sick, corrupt system. Right? This is how the film industry feels every day, only due to piracy.”
“Every illegal download of any film running in the cinemas results to one family in the film industry going jobless and hungry. Whether it’s a common worker, light man, extra or a technician. When was the last time you went to see a film in the theatre? Once in a blue moon, right? That’s because sites like Torrentz don’t want you to spend anywhere else. It is exactly like someone giving you free drugs, so that you don’t have to go to the gym. So, before you blame the film industry for anything including making mediocre films, ask yourself just one question, are you willing to kill one family every time you download something? If you are okay with it, so be it. But if you are not, then stop behaving as if it’s the end of the world and rejoice. ‘Cause the end of Torrentz is the beginning of a new dawn for the film industry.”
He looked at me apologetically and said, “I didn’t know it was that bad, bro. An entire family gets affected by a single download? Sh*t, I feel so guilty now. Come let’s go watch a movie at PVR.” Happily, we both decided to watch the latest Hindi film called Fever. And that’s exactly what we ended up with, after the film.
