Kapur acknowledges and says, "The rising number of user-generated sites like YouTube has made it easier to share videos. We do send notices to websites hosting illegal content and they respond favourably by taking off the content."

But the rising number of video-hosting sites also means that it is virtually impossible to keep track of illegal videos. Even as India's box office revenues are expected to swell up to $7.4 billion by 2010, according to PricewaterhouseCooper estimates, the downloaded content can garner more than $1.4 billion for the producers.

UTV is already rethinking its pricing strategy and release schedules for its online consumer by tightening digital distribution and security to control data leaks.

"We are working with technology companies to develop workable online distribution and rights management systems and to create easy-to-use channels at the right price," he says.

Image:Members of various associations of the entertainment industry march during a protest against video piracy in Chennai | Photograph: Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP/Getty Images