Are movie leaks online deliberate?

Leaking a film’s footage online is considered a crime, but insiders state that what was earlier considered crime is now a part of the marketing strategy as they point out instances where rushes of at least four forthcoming movies were apparently ‘leaked’ online. 

Interestingly, in most cases the leaked out portions turned out to be edited portions of a film. In all cases, the master-print of the film is a heavily guarded intellectual property, so the leak couldn’t have taken place without an inside hand.

Reacting to news about portions of his heavily guarded superhero film found its way online, actor Shah Rukh Khan said, “I’m not happy about it. But those portions have been re-shot and what has come out online is not the actual version.”

According to a filmmaker, it’s just another marketing tool to get publicity for the movie. “Leaking out portions that is not there in the original version doesn’t really affect the film and even if we release parts of the promo song before it actually releases, it only benefits your movie,” says a reputed filmmaker citing forthcoming films of Shah Rukh and actor Salman Khan as examples.

The director who faced the brunt of this trend is Sudhir Mishra, whose entire sequel to the critically acclaimed Johnny Gaddar got  leaked online. The film till date has not seen the light of the day. “I don’t think even if the entire film leaks online it destroys the prospects of the film as only a small portion of the audience checks it online,” says Mishra.

Filmmaker Sajid Khan also thinks that selective leakage on online video sharing websites is part of a gimmick. “It is just a gimmick. But I feel that no amount of gimmicks or strategies will change the film’s fate, if it’s a bad film,” he says.