Kochi: A major leak has hit the upcoming Malayalam film Pongala, starring Sreenath Bhasi, just before its release. The film’s director, A. B. Binil has filed a police complaint against the assistant director, accusing him of leaking key scenes, including the climax, on social media.

Binil filed the complaint at the Palarivattom police station against assistant director Faisal Shah. He alleges that Faisal recorded parts of the film using a mobile phone during the shoot and later shared the footage online to gain views.

“Two weeks ago, a friend told me that a video was uploaded on social media. When I checked the video, I was shocked to see who was behind it. The person who came as an assistant had recorded the movie scenes on his mobile and uploaded them on social media to get views. I called him as soon as I saw the video. He didn't pick up the phone. Later, when I sent a message, he deleted the video,” Binil told Mathrubhumi.com.

Despite the video being deleted initially, the same clip appeared again on Friday morning on a woman’s Facebook account. “This morning, I saw that the video was circulated through a Facebook account in the name of a woman. It was leaked or shared by the assistant director,” Binil said.

Film faces major setback

The leak is a major blow to the team, as Pongala was made on a budget of Rs 10 crore and took six to eight months to complete filming. “It is a film with a budget of Rs 10 crore. This was done by a person who was a part of the whole film throughout, which was shot in six to eight months. Now the film has to be reshot,” Binil added.

Pongala is an action film based on a real incident, written and directed by A.B. Binil. The movie was shot in Cherai, Vypin and had been gearing up for release before the leak forced a serious rethink by the filmmakers.