UTV Motion Pictures is planning to release Ashutosh Gowariker's Jodhaa Akbar in 26 countries and 1,500 screens on Feb 15, which it claims is the biggest ever release for an Indian film.

A co-production between UTV and Ashutosh Gowariker Productions, the film stars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan and depicts the romance between Mughal Emperor Akbar and the Rajput princess Jodhaa.

It will be dubbed into three Indian languages (Hindi, Telegu and Tamil) and subtitled in English, Arabic and Dutch.

In India, the film will be released on 1,200 screens (825 physical prints and 500 digital copies), while in the US it will be released on close to 122 prints - the highest number ever for an Indian film.

UTV Motion Pictures director Siddharth Roy Kapur said that 'the distribution strategy will ensure that the film can be viewed by the maximum possible audiences in the very week of its release.'

Besides the US, the film is also being released in six Canadian provinces (British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Alberta).

Given the piracy epidemic that plagues Indian films, UTV has undertaken measures to protect the film. In the US, exhibitors have collectively identified 500 retail stores that regularly stock pirated prints - and they have been sent legal warning letters through registered mail.

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