Phalke Academy asks Bollywood to campaign against piracy

Mumbai, June 11 (UNI) The Dadasaheb Phalke Academy has appealed to Bollywood personalities to use the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards function in Dubai this week as a platform to launch a campaign against piracy.

As a part of this, the academy had planned to observe February 16 next year as anti-piracy movement day, on the occasion of the death anniversary of Dadasaheb Phalke.

In a statement here yesterday, the academy, a body of 35 cinema associations in India said Bollywood celebrities should address their fans and the public to neither watch pirated movies nor listen to pirated music. ''We appeal to Amitabh Bachchan who is the brand ambassador of IIFA to air, if possible a short programme on anti-piracy, using IIFA platform which will be a great service to the film industry,'' the statement said.

Urging the media to highlight the demand, the statement said if the issue is raised in trade papers and the media, the stars who participate in several social welfare causes like HIV will support the anti-piracy campaign, the statement added.

The statement further said that academy chairman Santosh Singh Jain has suggested a seven point programme to combat piracy and the academy is working on the action plan, the statement added.

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