The Madras High Court has directed internet service providers or ISPs such as Airtel and BSNL to refrain from allowing websites to stream pirated versions of the Rajinikanth film. The film, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, will hit theatres on Thursday, August 14. The same report in The Hindu stated that the judge restrained as many as 36 ISPs from infringing the movie’s copyright by blocking all websites/web pages in existence, as well as those to be created in the future, if they streamed pirated prints of Coolie.
In related news, THR India had reported that this week will likely see one of the biggest box-office openings of all time for Indian cinema. The last few days in the trade have been dominated by the massive surge in advance sales for Coolie, which has opened its bookings overseas and is rolling out the same in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The response has been historic and the Lokesh Kanagaraj directorial is set to script new records overseas for an Indian film. The early sales tracking of the film has also pretty much established that Coolie rewrite all records for a Tamil film in the state, as well as Kerala, where is has already made a smashing pre-sales debut.
This, although the film becoming the first in over 30 years for a Rajinikanth film to be given an ‘A’ rating. Last week, social media handles of popular multiplex chains located in Tamil Nadu have reiterated that the screening of the film will begin only after viewers display proof of age.
“This Film Is 'A' Rated. Do Not Bring Your Kids For an A-Rated Film. Valid Proof Of Age Required For A-Rated Films,” read the post issued by PVR INOX in both Tamil and English. Similarly, AGS Cinemas, another multiplex chain, issued a statement reiterating that, “Those Below 18 Years OF Age Are Strictly Not Permitted To “A” Certified Movies.” Both posts also included a poster of the Rajinikanth film.
Earlier, THR India had reported that film exhibitors predicted the August weekend to be the biggest box-office run in the history of Indian cinema, with Coolie releasing alongside War 2.
