Small and medium-budget producers faced bankruptcy when piracy cut their theatrical window short.

He watched the progress bar crawl. It was a race against the ISP’s blocklist and the hostel’s flickering Wi-Fi. 10%... 34%... 62%. As the file hit 100%, he felt a rush of adrenaline. He plugged in his cheap headphones, hit play, and the world of high-speed car chases and explosions filled his vision. The dubbing was slightly off—the hero sounded more like a local tea-shop owner than a superstar—but to Selvam, it was magic.

In India, downloading copyrighted material without permission violates the Copyright Act of 1957 . First-time offenders can face jail time from 6 months to 3 years and fines ranging from ₹50,000 to ₹2,00,000 .