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His fans had been waiting for the film for months, following every twist and turn of the shooting process in a state where cinema is like a religion. And within two days, pirated DVD s were available on the black market.

And one of the main markets for pirated discs is Burma Bazaar in north Chennai, one of the older parts of the city, close to Beach Station and Fort St. George, the original outpost of the British who founded Madras, now known as Chennai.

Burma Bazaar began life as a makeshift market in the s, set up by repatriates from Myanmar who were waiting for the Tamil Nadu government to process their papers and help them resettle. Close to , Tamils were repatriated to India between and as the military junta tightened its grip over what was then Burma. Passers-by and government employees from the very offices the repatriates were petitioning bought their toys, trinkets and even footwear and extra clothing.

Word of the bargain market spread, and business picked up.

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In the s, the bazaar became the hub for electronic gadgets. The electronics were all smuggled in and authorities pretended not to notice the thriving illegal trade.

During the odd years in which the bazaar has grown to more than shops, it has adapted to the demands of the market. When liberalization eased up import controls after , Sony and other global electronics giants opened up in the city.

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Burma Bazaar seemed to have reached its twilight, but it adapted again, this time to become one of the biggest piracy markets in the state.

Though suitcases and toys are still piled up outside the shops that sit on the pavement, DVD s are the main source of business here with about shops selling pirated discs.

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Even copies of Thalaivaa reached Burma Bazaar first, though the shopkeepers took care to keep them off the shelves and only sold them to regulars. Tamil films release on DVD only five years after they hit theaters, which gives video pirates much scope to make money.

Police raids and the corner mobile-phone shop selling pirated movies on pen drives has affected business. According to some estimates, until three years ago Burma Bazaar did business worth about Rs crore one crore is equal to 10 million , but that is down to about Rs 50 lakh a day now one lakh is , One former shopkeeper from Burma Bazaar who has moved into Citi Centre mall on RK Salai in the heart of the city says things were getting a little hot in the old market.

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