Telangana police’s fight against Telugu film piracy

As Lenin, starring Akhil Akkineni and Bhagyashri Borse, witnessed a steady rise in footfalls after its July 10 release, its producers were watching something else just as closely: piracy websites. By the end of the opening weekend, the Murali Kishor Abburu film had escaped the fate that befell several Telugu releases in 2025; no pirated copies had surfaced online.

Behind this turnaround is a coordinated anti-piracy operation involving commandos, police personnel and members of the Anti-Video Piracy Cell (AVPC) of the Telangana Film Chamber of Commerce (TFCC), working out of the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB)’s Integrated Command and Control Centre in Hyderabad.

The operation gained momentum after the TGCSB and the TFCC signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in January 2026 to tackle digital film piracy. Since then, real-time monitoring of piracy networks has enabled authorities to identify and remove illegal content within minutes.

Explaining the bureau’s involvement, TGCSB director Shikha Goel says, “Someone watching a pirated film unknowingly becomes part of a demand and supply system where the sites lead to portals that indulge in activities ranging from betting to child sexual abuse. We stepped in since piracy sites have become a gateway to a larger cyber crime ecosystem.”

According to the TGCSB, more than 22,000 URLs hosting pirated films have been taken down over the past seven months. Rajkumar Akella, chairperson of the AVPC, acknowledges that around 800 of these were rogue websites that typically ignore piracy complaints from the film industry, making police intervention crucial.

However, he cautions that such takedowns alone are not a win as new piracy links emerge almost as quickly as old ones are taken down. “The real challenge has been dismantling piracy syndicates. Two recent arrests made by the Telangana police have instilled fear in these networks,” he says.

The TGCSB considers the arrests of Jignesh Batbarbhari Solanki, who was caught while allegedly recording the Telugu film Dacoit at a Cinepolis theatre in Thane, and Rahul Mehta, accused of playing a key role in distributing pirated copies online, as major breakthroughs.

According to the police, Jignesh had allegedly recorded more than 50 films across Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Punjabi, Kannada and Gujarati languages. His Telugu targets this year included The Raja Saab and Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu. Police records show Rahul was a repeat offender who was arrested in 2017 in connection with the piracy of Baahubali: The Conclusion (2017).

The arrests followed months of tracking piracy patterns. Pirated prints of 38 films were subjected to forensic analysis, using invisible watermarks embedded in them to trace the digital footprint to the theatres where the illegal recordings were made. Rajkumar credits Goel and her team for coordinating with authorities in Mumbai to arrest the suspect in Thane.

Film producer Supriya Yarlagadda, who is actively involved in the AVPC’s anti-piracy initiatives, says the arrests have begun to deter offenders. “The handful of arrests made in the last one year have sent a strong message to piracy networks. Those indulging in camcorder recordings have become watchful.”

She says more than 300 piracy websites are repeat offenders, using professionally designed interfaces that mimic legitimate streaming platforms to lure users: “These platforms attract advertisement revenues from betting sites, dark web portals and sites indulging in data theft.”

Goel says enforcement must be complemented by greater public awareness. While many theatres already display anti-piracy slides before screenings, the bureau is also encouraging exhibitors to install anti-piracy posters at entrances and play audio messages warning audiences against illegal recordings.

The industry is also urging the Centre to tighten regulations governing international cloud-hosting platforms that enjoy safe harbour protection and host piracy websites such as TamilRockers, Cinevood and Movierulz.

“If there is a regulation warranting KYC submissions from anyone running these portals, it can be a big step towards stemming piracy,” says Rajkumar.

The South Indian Film Producers’ Association (SIFPA) has also petitioned Union Information & Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to make platforms such as Telegram, where pirated films are widely circulated, more accountable. The platform has already come under scrutiny following incidents such as the circulation of leaked NEET examination material.

Rajkumar also states that the increased crackdown has also forced piracy syndicates to shift part of their operations outside India. Forensic analysis of a pirated copy of Peddi, for instance, traced the illegal recording to a theatre in Malaysia.

The industry is now exploring technologies such as anti-glare mechanisms to make in-theatre recording more difficult. “We can use advanced technology to tackle piracy but the pirates keep getting smarter,” Rajkumar says.

Supriya believes the fight has made good progress, even if it is far from over. “We have come a long way from blocking 10 piracy URLs a day to taking down thousands of links daily. But it is an ongoing battle.”