{ Valentine’s Day Spat! } Love Or Infatuation?

The 25, and Vikrant Massey, 33, address Stars of the moment, Radhika Madan, debate du jour: has OTT finished larger-than-life cinema for good, or is it just a passing phase?

IText by Shruti Nair

Photos shot exclusively for HT Brunch by Prabhat Shetty Styling by Priyanka Mishra (for Vikrant Massey) and Meagan Concessio (for Radhika Madan)

vividly remember going to watch Devdas (2002), my first movie in a single-screen theatre, when I was all of eight. It doubled as an extended family outing, for which we had booked an entire row in the cinema hall. Now that used to be the charm of watching a movie on the big screen! Cut to last year at home, when we finally got a decent Wi-fi connection, thanks to work from home, my grandpa would nudge me to stream Malayalam movies post lunch, which kept him glued to the sofa.

The seismic shift in the Indian film industry has been gradual and it is happening again. The year of the pandemic has changed the way content is being consumed, movies included.

So, a few minutes into my Zoom interview, when I ask actors Vikrant Massey, 33, and Radhika Madan, 25, about their viewpoints on the announcement of censorship on OTT, Vikrant says, “I honestly don’t find a difference. We have to concede that when there was no censorship, people would go

{ VIKRANT MASSEY } ACTOR

“The definition of heroes and of big films is changing. Also, the concept of heroes in real life itself is changing.”

“NOW THAT MAXIMUM VIEWERSHIP IS ON OTT, WHO IS THE HERO? THE SCRIPT!” —RADHIKA MADAN

overboard.” Radhika spontaneously chimes in: “Vikrant, I’m sorry to cut you off but do you think that a show like Mirzapur will be possible after censor board comes on board?”

As for me, I smile to myself (victoriously), as the conversation has set the premise for the debate of OTT vs theatre-going experience!

THE STREAMING STORY

So, when I ask our actors to choose their stance, Radhika says: “Of course, there’s comfort [in streaming]. I can pause it anytime; I can go to the loo and continue to watch on my phone. I can multitask and watch, let’s not get into it in detail,” says Radhika and Vikrant chuckles almost as if he’s guilty of doing it.

“But,” she adds, “I also feel that our attention span is reducing. According to stats, the short films are working more, whereas if the duration is longer, a lot of people tend to get distracted faster. Rest Vikrant sir will tell us,” she smiles.

Vikrant nods and says: “True. Due to the Covid phase, lot of people have lapped on to OTT because they had no choice. I was very fortunate because, whether OTT or theatre, people have been very kind to me. Plus, given that there are so many takers for good content and diverse platforms, God has been kind! And it is here to stay. Not just in India, but the consumption of entertainment worldwide shows that streaming platforms have found their footing. It’s in a transitional phase still, but it is a welcome change.”

COUCH COMFORT OR CURTAIN-RAISER?

Making a movie is an effort involving hundreds of people. How, then, does it feel when the audience pauses a movie midway to go cook or to take a nap?

Radhika takes the first pass, and says: “Look, for a lot of people, movie-watching is not a serious thing. For an actor, or for people from the industry, it is. My mom doesn’t mind getting up in the middle of the movie to get popcorn, and I react with, ‘How can you get up in the middle of a scene?’ So, while I’d prefer that people watch my scenes carefully, I’ve also realised I cannot expect that all the time.”

“Cinema-viewing is akin to culture in our country and the last 30 years have seen a huge transition from the single-screen to multiplexes,” says Vikrant and adds: “For a middle-class family, to go watch a movie once a month is an event. It’s an experience!” (Now I realise why Devdas is etched in memory so clearly.)

To watch themselves on ‘the big screen’ is