I totally agree with eserte and think you should just roll a method to do this instead of calling another script.

I know the temptation. I used to try to make something like this work as a option in my early CGI days, but then I started calling "libraries" of common routines in module form. And from the sound of it, something like a download routine could be called in a variety of situations. When you start doing that, you need to seriously think the module route. Besides, when you start doing system calls, things can get dicey.

Take a look at CGI::Application and some of its easy-to-use redirects and instances.