‘Rs 100-crore club is dead’

Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur predicts end of ‘star system’

The uncertainty around the reopening of theatres, which were shut down in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, has pushed the makers to consider a digital release. Several bigticket Bollywood movies have been scheduled to release on OTT platforms, while a few others have been indefinitely postponed. On Tuesday, director Shekhar Kapur predicted the end of Bollywood’s 100 crore club.

He tweeted, “Theatres are not going to open for atleast a year. So all hype around first weeks business of 100+ crores is dead. So the theatrical Star System is dead.” He added, “Stars will have to go to existing OTT platform or stream films themselves through their own apps. Technology is quite simple.”

With the lockdown shutting film shoots, several filmmakers are set to release their movies on various digital platforms in the next months. Disney+ Hotstar would showcase seven mainstream films on its OTT platform: Akshay Kumar-starrer Laxmmi Bomb, Ajay Devgn's Bhuj: The Pride Of India, Sadak 2 starring Alia Bhatt, Sushant Singh Rajput's last film Dil Bechara, The Big Bull starring Abhishek Bachchan, Vidyut Jammwal's Khuda Haafiz and Lootcase featuring Kunal Kemmu.

Shoojit Sircar’s Gulabo Sitabo, featuring megastar Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana, was the first big Hindi movie to release on a streaming platform. Vidya Balan-led Shakuntala Devi and Janhvi Kapoor’s Gunjan Saxena - The Kargil Girl are also headed for direct-to-digital release, a decision which has not gone down well with many cinema chain owners.