In what could give a boost to anti-piracy measures in India, on the eve of the digital release of his film ‘Radhe’, co-presented by his production house and starring him in the lead role, Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has woken up to the menace of online piracy.

He released a short video on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGyrii9Unso) highlighting why piracy is bad for the entertainment content creators and how people can support by dumping pirated materials, giving a boost to anti-piracy measures.

Tweeting about the issue, Salman said: “No piracy in entertainment…” With the hashtag #Radhe, the message also tagged his fellow actors in the movie like Randeep Hooda and Disha Patani, apart from accounts like Zee5 (where the movie will be made available to premium paid customers of the streamer), ZeeMusicCompany, SKFilmsOfficial and SohailKhan.

Though one cannot say how the movie will fare with the audience, but ‘Radhe’ could be a trendsetter in digital releases of films at a time when in India movie halls have been again shuttered owing to the raging pandemic.

Khan’s new flick will be released on streaming and DTH platforms, apart from theatres, in a multi-prong strategy drawn up by co-producer Zee Studios in times of Covid-19.

No piracy in entertainment… #Radhehttps://t.co/Vek6W39rpf@bindasbhidu @DishPatani @RandeepHooda @PDdancing @SKFilmsOfficial @ZeeStudios_  @SohailKhan @atulreellife @ReelLifeProdn @ZeeMusicCompany @ZeeplexOfficial @ZEE5India

— Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) May 12, 2021

`Radhe’, according to an earlier report by Variety magazine, will release theatrically worldwide, wherever cinemas are open, as scheduled on May 13. The film will also be available on OTT platform ZEE5 to all annual premium subscribers for a one-time viewing.

In India, the film will simultaneously release in theatres and on ZEE5 via pay-per-view service ZEEPlex, and also on rival DTH satellite platforms like DishD2H, Tata Sky and Airtel Digital TV.

DishD2H, for example, has been marketing the movie for sometime now trying to lure in viewers for a paid viewing of the Khan-starrer in homes.

“The ongoing pandemic forced us to innovate, and we are proud to be the first to embark upon this new distribution strategy,” Varietyhad earlier quoted Shariq Patel, CEO, Zee Studios as saying.

“While we all love to catch the latest movies at the nearest theatres, we realized we’d be doing a disservice to Salman’s fans nationwide if we aren’t able to release theatrically in all Indian states. We sensed the need for a pay per view solution along with theatres, which gives the consumers flexibility and convenience of viewing the film. There cannot be a better film than ‘Radhe’to offer the audiences who’ve been waiting for an out and out entertainer for over a year now. ‘Radhe’ continues our network’s deep relationship with Salman Khan and we are looking to release the film in over 40 countries including theatrical release in major overseas markets,” Patel had added.

The film is presented by Salman Khan Films in association with ZEE Studios, and produced by Salman Khan, Sohail Khan and Reel Life Production Private Limited.