Relief for Salman Khan; Delhi High Court directs WhatsApp to suspend services of users pirating 'Radhe'

Salman Khan and Disha Patani in Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai

On Monday, the Delhi High Court ordered WhatsApp users to stop circulating Salman Khan's 'Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai'. This comes after the distributor alleged that the film is being illegally downloaded on social media platforms. The court also directed WhatsApp to suspend services to numbers that are being used to sell pirated copies of the film.

The court has also directed the country's leading telecom operators -- Airtel, Jio and Vodafone -- to disclose subscriber details of the offenders, with Zee to initiate further legal action against them.

'Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai' had a multi-format release in select theatres as well as on streaming platform ZEE5, pay-per-view service ZEEPlex and on DTH services on May 13. The movie presented by Salman Khan Films in association with ZEE Studios, was leaked online soon after its release.

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In an Instagram post, Salman Khan said watching a film on a pirated site was a "serious crime" and the Cyber Cell will be taking action against these illegal pirated sites as well as those using such platforms. "We offered you to watch our film 'Radhe' at a reasonable price of INR 249 Per View. In spite of that pirated sites are streaming Radhe illegally which is a serious crime," he wrote.

In a note issued to the media, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd said a complaint has been filed at the Cyber Cell, pertaining to the pirated version of 'Radhe' being circulated across messaging platforms, including WhatsApp and Telegram. The production company also appealed to the public to support the film industry in the fight against piracy. "Films create livelihood, employment and a source of income for millions of people working for the industry."

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The note further said piracy is the biggest threat to the entertainment industry, which contributes towards the economy of the country in form of taxes paid to the government. "People engaged in spreading the illegal version of the film, are not just embracing piracy, but are also negatively impacting the growth of the industry and the livelihoods of the people working for it round the clock."

Prior to the film's release, Salman had appealed to his fans to shun piracy and watch 'Radhe' only on the right platform. The actor had said it takes the hard work of several people to make a movie and it "hurts a lot when some take the route of piracy to watch the final product".

Directed by Prabhudeva, 'Radhe' also features actors Disha Patani, Randeep Hooda, Jackie Shroff, and Gautam Gulati.