Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has weighed in on the long-standing issue of film piracy, arguing.
That the problem persists not just because of those who circulate illegal content, but also because of the viewers who consume it. In a sharp post on X (formerly Twitter), the Sarkar director criticised both the creators and the supporters of pirated material.
Addressing what he called the “Robin Hood Ravi” mindset, Varma wrote, “Piracy will never stop. Not because technology is too advanced or policing too weak, but because as long as there are a large number of people willing to watch a pirated film, there will always be Ravis to serve them. The funniest thing is Ravi supporters proudly comparing him to Robin Hood, as if they discovered some Nobel Prize winning logic.”
He went on to argue that Robin Hood should not be celebrated, saying that by modern standards, the folklore figure would be considered “the world’s first recorded terrorist.” Varma wrote, “He loots and kills the haves to give to the have-nots, and the only crime of the rich is that they are rich. It takes enormous ignorance to romanticise a criminal simply because the recipients get stolen goods for free.”
Taking a dig at those who justify piracy by citing high movie ticket prices, Varma compared such logic to advocating the robbery of BMW showrooms to distribute luxury cars for free. “This kind of thinking will lead to social collapse and anarchy,” he warned. According to him, people watch pirated content primarily for convenience, not because of any ethical or moral stance.
He also claimed that many within the film industry secretly consume pirated content to save time and money.
Varma concluded with what he believes is a practical solution to curb piracy: penalising not just the suppliers but also the viewers. “Apart from criminalising the supplier, they should also criminalise the viewer. Catching the pirate is difficult because he hides behind digital ghettos. But catching the viewer is easy. Arrest a hundred random people watching pirated content and publicise their names,” he wrote.
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