'Great Grand Masti' team says copy tampered at FCAT

The team of film "Great Grand Masti", which was leaked before its release, says that the copy they submitted to the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) was tampered with, while presenter Ekta Kapoor said that 'conspiracy theories were at work'.

In a press conference, director Indra Kumar said: "When the Cyber Cell officials went there (FCAT), they found that someone had opened the seal and put it in an album like a folder and they sealed that."

Actor Vivek Oberoi said: "You have to submit a sealed copy. They don't have the right to receive a copy without a seal, so no one has the right to open that seal. From the condition in which the copies were found, it seemed someone had opened it and put it along with the other films and sealed it with them. That's what we have been told as revealed from the investigation."

Actor Riteish Deshmukh said: "From the information we have, we are sure that (leaked copiesof ) 'Udta Punjab' and 'Great Grand Masti' were FCAT copies."

The film had leaked on digital platforms 17 days before its original release date of July 22. Vivek and Riteish also spoke about how the film was illegally showcased at a cinema house, on cable television, as well as through actual pirated copies.

Ekta, from Alt Entertainment, the presenters of the film, had faced a similar situation when her production "Udta Punjab" had also similarly leaked. Asked about being targeted, Ekta said, "If the leak was planned as a 'Target Balaji' situation, then it's most unfortunate but I don't look at it that way.

"There are conspiracy theories that have come into play, that we have been informed of, but I don't want to say it to the press now."

Indra Kumar also said: "We are really distressed, all of us are broken, shattered. Two years of hard work and crores of rupees have just gone down the drain and that is because of piracy.

"Our last franchise did 100 crores, with this we were expecting to do 150. It was not supposed to open so low. Piracy has hit us right on the head and the heart. We have suffered heavy mental and financial loss; government definitely needs to do something about piracy."

"Great Grand Masti" released on Friday.

--IANS

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