The Madras High Court has banned the release of pirated versions of Mani Ratnam’s magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan

Mani Ratnam’s highly awaited historical drama Ponniyin Selvan: I has been released today, and the magnum opus is off to a great start at the box office. Now, the latest update about the project is that the Madras High Court has banned the release of pirated versions of the movie. The makers had asked the court to prohibit the release of the film on pirated websites.

They claimed that it will adversely affect the business of the film in the theatres as the viewers will get free access to the movie made on a lavish budget. Now, a total of more than 2000 websites have been banned to release Ponniyin Selvan. In addition to this, the makers have also sent a request to fans to send them links related to pirated copies of the drama, so that they can be made unavailable. Meanwhile, fans have further requested movie buffs to avoid sharing any videos or pictures from theatres in order to avoid spoilers.

With a stellar cast including Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Chiyaan Vikram, Karthi, Trisha and Jayam Ravi, Ponniyin Selvan has been a topic of discussion among viewers ever since its inception. Chiyaan Vikram and Karthi reached a cinema hall today to witness the first-day first show of Ponniyin Selvan at 5:30 AM. The co-stars were elated by the audience’s positive response to the movie.

For the unversed, Ponniyin Selvan has been under discussion for around 3 decades. The director initially tried to make this historical drama in 1994 and later he gave it a second shot in 2011. However, both these attempts were unsuccessful.