Six months later, Jasleen visited the set of a new web series being filmed in Mohali. It was a low-budget affair, cutting corners everywhere. She met a young assistant director named Simran, who looked at her with stars in her eyes.
I cannot produce a story that encourages or facilitates the illegal downloading of movies. I can, however, write a fictional story about the impact of piracy on a filmmaker and the value of original content.
Jasleen managed a tired smile. "Thank you. Did you see it in the theater?"
The film was set to release on a Friday. By Thursday night, the industry buzz was electric. Critics were calling it a masterpiece. The premier was a glittering affair of flashing cameras and silk suits. Jasleen felt a giddiness she hadn't known since she first picked up a camera.
Hundreds of thousands of people were watching the film she had risked her inheritance to make, the film her cinematographer had nearly broken his back shooting, the film the spot boys had worked eighteen-hour shifts for. And they were paying nothing for it.