Darbar: Rajinikanth cop-drama, directed by AR Murugadoss, leaked by Tamilrockers within hours of release

Rajinikanth’s latest film Darbar was leaked online by piracy website Tamilrockers within hours of its theatrical release, according to a report by Times of India. The report adds that the court had ordered to block all piracy sites to prevent the print’s circulation. TOI further states that Rajinikanth’s fans have said they would only watch the film in cinemas not online. Piracy has been a major problem for filmmakers as the film’s box office collections get affected. Tamilrockers has become infamous for leaking a slew of highly anticipated South Indian, Hollywood, and Bollywood films within a day of their theatrical release. Despite several complaints, ban, and strict action by the court, the filmmakers have failed to fight the menace of piracy, particularly by Tamilrockers. [caption id=“attachment_7789841” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] A still from Rajinikanth’s Darbar[/caption] A lot of attempts have been made to stop the menace of online piracy. However, websites like Tamilrockers operate with impunity. Earlier this year, members of the Film Federation of India (FFI) had also asked for the Cinematograph Act to be amended in February. The government, in its response, introduced a bill in Rajya Sabha to impose a strict penalty to combat piracy.  The Indian Express previously reported that the website keeps switching its domain extension to avoid being caught, and can only be accessed through a proxy server. Darbar marks the actor’s first collaboration with director AR Murugadoss . The cop action drama stars Nayanthara as the female lead and Suniel Shetty as the primary antagonist. Nivetha Thomas, Dalip Tahil, Soori, Harish Uthaman,  Jeeva, Manobala, Suman, Anandaraj, Rao Ramesh, Bose Venkat, Prakash Raj, Nawab Shah, Prateik Babbar, and Yogi Babu are also part of the cast. This film, bankrolled by Lyca Productions, also sees Rajinikanth as a cop for in almost two decades after Pandiyan (1992). The music has been composed by Anirudh Ravichander. Santosh Sivan is the cinematographer while Sreekar Prasad is the editor. Darbar is Rajinikanth’s third project with Lyca after  _2.0_  and  Kaala . Firstpost recently reported that Darbar has generated  Rs 220 crore in its pre-release business from its worldwide theatrical rights and from ancillary platforms. As per Lyca Productions’ estimates, the film will make about Rs 190 crore at the box office.