Piracy is every filmmaker's night mare, more so if the movie gets leaked online before its release. No wonder then that Mukesh Bhatt, Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar, the producers of Raaz Reboot, were horrified when the internet buzzed with the news of the Emraan Hashmi-Kriti Kharbanda-Gaurav Arora-starrer being leaked online prior to its date with cinemas. They got a real-life scare when they came across links to download the horror flick being circu lated in the digital space. The surge in traffic to the website, as the number of views increased, only added to their woes.

Having seen recent instances when films leaked online before their release cost those producers heavily, the makers of Raaz Reboot swung into action to minimise the damage. Says writer-director Vikram Bhatt, “We felt the movie had got leaked. When we downloaded from the links, it turned out to be just one clip - of a possessed Kriti screaming the F-word multiple times in quick succession. We were relieved that the film hadn't got leaked.“

Clueless about how it happened, he says, “The overseas prints have been dispatched. The clip doesn't have a censor cut, nor is the recording clear. Maybe someone recorded it on their smartphone from some studio and leaked it online.“

Also suspecting some foul play, Vikram adds, “Mukeshji had said that we didn't have cuts, so someone was playing a dirty game to prove otherwise.“ Though they have nothing to fear about for the final instalment of Raaz now, Vikram concedes the fear of piracy looms large till all leaks are plugged. “In this age of computers, internet and smartphones, you can't say where a film can be leaked from. It can only be sorted with great technical intervention. Until then, piracy will be our worst nightmare,“ he concludes.

Raaz Reboot, presented by Gulshan Kumar and Vishesh Films, releases September 16.