Always trust Twitterati to to make your day with wit and memes. Who is the newest target?
Radhe.
After Salman Khan's much-anticipated film "Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai" was leaked on piracy sites, the Bollywood superstar warned miscreants of legal action by the Cyber Cell.
The action-drama had a multi-format release in select theatres and simultaneously on the streaming platform ZEE5 with ZEE's pay per view service ZEEPlex and on DTH services at Rs 249 on May 13 on the festival of Eid.
However, the movie, directed by Prabhudeva, was uploaded online within hours of its release.
Read more: 'Radhe' movie review: On Eid, Salman Khan chooses to treat only 'die-hard' fans
Expressing his disappointment, Khan shared a note on his social media accounts late Saturday night and said watching a film on a pirated site was a "serious crime".
"We offered you to watch our film 'Radhe' at a reasonable price of Rs 249 Per View. Inspite of that pirated sites are streaming Radhe illegally which is a serious crime," he wrote.
The 55-year-old star informed that the Cyber Cell is taking action against these illegal pirated sites and the ones using such platforms.
"Please understand you will get into a lot of trouble with the Cyber cell," he cautioned.
Also read: Four changes that would have made Salman Khan's 'Radhe' even more entertaining
Twitterati, however, had a field day, with some demanding a refund from Salman Khan because that's how bad they thought the movie was
One Twitter user said, "You (Salman Khan) should give us Rs 249 instead for making such a film."
Another person said, "Forget piracy, I won't watch the film even if you pay me Rs 249."
One Twitter user decided to go one step ahead and mark himself safe from the film.
One person asked Salman to help with the refund process.
Another user, taking serious offence, asked the beloved actor to not "play with our emotions" and employ good directors with the budget at his disposal. He also said "Sir no one will watch pirated copy too ... It's that bad"
One Twitter user went to the extent of saying that those who actually spent Rs 250 to watch the film should be sent to jail.
More memes followed:
It would be unfair to say that Salman Khan and his film Radhe have only been criticised by Netizens. Several fans, eagerly awaiting this film, praised the actor while one person pointed out that that Salman's films help support the crew and everyone involved in the making of it and hence their 'bread and butter' must be saved
Ahead of the release of the film, Salman had appealed to his fans and followers to shun piracy and watch Radhe on the right platform, saying that it takes the hard work of several people to make a movie and it "hurts a lot when some take the route of piracy to watch the final product".
"I want a commitment from all of you that you will enjoy films on the right platform. So this Eid we want a commitment from the audience - no piracy in entertainment," he had said.
According to DH's review of Radhe, "Salman Khan is the heart and soul of the film and does justice to a character that often comes across as an extension of his real personality. His 'tapori' swag and bindass dialogue delivery may remind one of Balakrishna's performance in the Telugu movie Paisa Vasool."
The internet, however, has been less kind to Sallu Bhai's latest venture.
Radhe also features Disha Patani, Randeep Hooda, Jackie Shroff, and Gautam Gulati.