The recent spate of piracy of films including 'Udta Punjab', 'Great Grand Masti' and 'Kabali' has prompted Bollywood as well as the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to change the current method followed by filmmakers to submit films for certification. Instead of DVDs, movie submission will now be done through a DCP-KDM format.

Producer Sajid Nadiadwala is the first in the industry to submit the copy of his upcoming film, 'Dishoom', in this particular foolproof format. He said, "We are grateful to CBFC chairman Pahlaj Nihalani and the entire Board for taking this initiative. I am going to put this up before the Indian Film and Television Producers Council and tell them about the safety of this system."

In layman terms, a DCP or Digital Cinema Package is the digital equivalent of a film print, packaged on a hard-drive for playback on a Digital Cinema server system. A DCP usually arrives at a theatre on a hard-drive or USB flash drive, and is played off the theatre's Digital Cinema Server on basic verification through a Digital Cinema Projector.


A KDM (Key Delivery Message), on the other hand, is a special electronic key that contains a code to "unlocks" an encrypted film.

The encryption prevent films from being stolen and duplicated. A source close to CBFC says, "Once the film is played, it gets locked automatically and no one can open it."

Relying on the format means the producer has to bear additional cost. Normally, they have to pay Rs 34,000 to the CBFC for certification of the films apart from shelling out Rs 3000 for food and beverages for the Board members at the screening. Film producer Mukesh Bhatt said, "Earlier, films were submitted on DVD, which was cheap. Now the DCP-KDM format will cost the producer Rs 20,000 extra."

Is it too expensive a proposition for a producer? Bhatt added, "It is better to do it and safeguard our property."