Fasten your seat belts and get ready for the BIG show. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE has arrived. Well, did we just say 'arrived'? Isn't it supposed to be hitting the Indian screens this Friday i.e. 23rd January?

Well, those who still want to watch it before the official release can do that in the comfort of their living room, courtesy the film's pirated DVDs that are out on every nook and corner of the country.

Says a college student who wished to be unnamed, "I was surprised to see the movie being sold on DVDs at a footpath near my college for a mere 40 bucks.

I wasn't too sure if the picture quality would be good but I was in for a pleasant surprise when it turned out to be just perfect. It is not a camera print, as is the case with the pirated movies which arrive just around their release date, and seems to have been copied from the master print that has been sent to quite a few film festivals."

Available for at least three weeks now, the DVDs have swarmed the market in the times when desperate measures are being said to be put in place for safeguarding the industry from piracy.

"May be because since it is a foreign movie rather than core Bollywood flick, even industry isn't worried about the pirated copies flooding the market. They may rather safeguard their own films than worry about revenue loss for a foreign studio", quotes an industry insider.

All is not lost for the film though. While still there is a substantial segment of audience out there that hasn't seen the film on the DVDs so far, some enthusiasts are willing to give it a second dekko on the big screen.

"I missed the feeling of euphoria that this film generates while watching it alone. There are number of clap worthy moments in the film and I already have my Friday night plans with a bunch of colleagues to of mine.

I want to see it in a group and experience of the journey that SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE takes", says Nitin Sharma, an IT professional.