Update: 19th August 2022
Filmwala Pictures, one of Pakistan’s leading production houses has officially issued a notice to Daraz.pk after director Nabeel Qureshi took it to his social media to share that they will be taking legal action.
Qureshi penned the tweet after screenshots of his movie ‘Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad’ and Nadeem Baig’s ‘London Nahi Jaunga’ circulated on social media.
The pirated versions of the movies were being illegally sold on the e-commerce platform for as low as Rs. 20 and Rs. 50. Moreover, the platform was called out for supporting illegal piracy and for playing a part in damaging the film business across the nation and abroad.
He tweeted:
We have served a legal notice to Daraz.pk for selling our film #quaideazamzindabad pirated version on their website illegally and damaging the film business while it’s playing in Cinemas across Pakistan & abroad, #boycottdaraz we believe in our justice system.
We have served a legal notice to https://t.co/qxEU6dn6Xe for selling our film #quaideazamzindabad pirated version on their website illegally and damaging the film business while its playing in Cinemas across pakistan & abroad, #boycottdaraz we believe in our justice system. pic.twitter.com/p6HBPVyQs0
— Nabeel Qureshi (@nabeelqureshi) August 19, 2022
We still have to see how Daraz responds to the notice.
What Happened?
Celebrated filmmaker, writer, and director Nabeel Qureshi who is most known for his films including ‘Actor in Law’, ‘Na Maloom Afraad’, ‘Load Wedding’, ‘Khel Khel Main’, and ‘Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad’ recently took it to social media to share his sentiments.
Qureshi in absolute fury penned down a tweet sharing that his movie’s pirated version is being openly sold on Daraz.pk, which is one of the biggest e-commerce platforms in Pakistan, which is a criminal offence. Moreover, he added that Filmwala Pictures will take legal action against the platform as this action is causing major damages to the film and cinema industry.
He writes:
This is criminal ! @darazpk is selling our film #quaideazamzindabad pirated version Officially on their website, while the film is playing in cinemas across pakistan, this is damaging the cinema and film industry, its alarming @FilmwalaP going to take strict action against it.
This is criminal ! @darazpk is selling our film #quaideazamzindabad pirated version Officially on their website, while the film is playing in cinemas across pakistan, this is damaging the cinema and film industry, its alarming @FilmwalaP going to take strict action against it. pic.twitter.com/8RMMYLCtH1
— Nabeel Qureshi (@nabeelqureshi) August 18, 2022
What really caught our attention was that Qureshi’s ‘Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad’ is not the only movie which has been advertised on the platform. Nadeem Baig’s ‘London Nahi Jaunga’ starring Humayun Saeed and Mehwish Hayat is also being illegally sold.
It is also important to clarify that Daraz is an international platform where the sellers registered their accounts and sell their items. Although the platform is not directly selling pirated movies, it is extremely disappointing to see that there is no check or balance, despite the fact that it is now owned by the Alibaba Group.
It doesn’t end there. It did not surprise us anymore to find Netflix and Amazon Prime subscriptions being openly sold on the platform as well.
After a little more digging, we found that you can indeed just about purchase anything illegally on the platform and with little to no security checks, you can get away with it too!
Every year, pirated movies cause the industry hundreds of thousands, and it also costs many families their livelihood. It is vital for us to support our local industry by using official platforms and by going to the cinema to support our amazing actors.
We have yet to see what actions will be taken against the platform and how they will respond.
Stay tuned to WOW360.
