Dangal, Dangal box office collection
A still from DangalTwitter

Aamir Khan-starrer Dangal seems to have got leaked online within a day of its release in theatres on Friday, December 23. The movie is said to be available for download as well as for watching online on a couple of websites.

Though reportedly of average quality, the downloaded version may find many takers who would want to watch the movie for free and at the comfort of their homes, instead of going to the theatres.

Downloading films from the web is illegal, yet people plunge into such practises and are ready to watch a poor quality print probably because it saves them from buying an expensive ticket.

Despite the film industry having taken several measures to curb the malpractice, almost all movies make it to the internet within a day of their release. While some movies (of both good and poor print quality) have made their way to the internet within a day of release, there have been instances when some movies were leaked online even before they hit theatres.

On the positive side, the makers of Dangal can take comfort that many movie lovers would still like to watch the film on a 70mm screen to get the real experience instead of watching inferior versions on the internet.

Meanwhile, Dangal has been receiving overwhelming response from the audience and has become the second highest opener of 2016 after Salman Khan's Sultan. The Nitesh Tiwari directorial is inspired by the real-life struggles of popular Haryana wrestler Mahavir Phogat, (played by Aamir) and his daughters Geeta Phogat (played by Fatima Sana Shaikh) and Babita Kumari (played by Sanya Malhotra), who fulfil their father's dream of winning the gold medal for India.