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Just as had happened in the case of Akshay Kumar’s Laxmii, history is all set to be repeated in the case of Coolie No. 1. Several exhibitors of C-class centres across the country are all geared up to screen the David Dhawan film at their cinemas even though the film will bypass the cinema platform and premiere on Amazon Prime Video. A pirated version of the film will be screened after downloading it on a pen drive and then beaming it through the projector via a laptop computer. The same modus operandi had been adopted to screen Laxmii illegally when that film was premiered on Disney+ Hotstar after bypassing the cinema route.
A number of cinemas in C-class centres are known for screening films illegally but cases like Laxmii and Coolie No. 1 are unique because these films are sold to OTT platforms under the express understanding between the said platforms and the films’ producers that they will not be exploited in cinemas. Since the producers of the two films and the streaming platforms are not in any way concerned with the cinema screenings of these films, it is a blatant case of piracy.
Sai Samarth Talkies of Musalgaon (in Maharashtra) has put up a vinyl hoarding of the film, openly announcing its screening in daily 2 shows from 25th December, the day it will premiere on Amazon Prime Video. Durgamati – The Myth was another such film which went directly on Amazon Prime but that didn’t prevent cinemas like Nathganga of Loni (in Maharashtra) from showing it to the public for a price. Why, the cinema even openly announced the fact on its official page on Facebook! Reportedly, Nathganga, Loni will also be screening Coolie No. 1.
