First pandemic, now piracy is eating into the business of struggling cinemas

On November 9, Akshay Kumar's *Laxmii* dropped on Disney+Hotstar. Only a day later, a video parlour in Madhya Pradesh screened the horror-comedy to an audience of 70-odd people — the first of many shows to come. Trade circles have been abuzz with rumours that pirated versions of the movie have been playing at several...