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OTT platforms to the rescue
Atheatrical release for a film means huge expenditures and uncertainty about returns, which have left many films in the cold storage. But now, with the advent of the Over The Top platforms, several films whose releases had previously hit a roadblock are finally seeing the light of the day. The digital route has proved to be a boon for films such as Emraan Hashmi-starrer Tigers, Pooja Bhatt’s production Cabaret, and Leena Yadav-directed Rajma Chawal.
Pooja Bhatt is no stranger to risks and experiments, having starred in a film, Daddy (1989), which was released on TV directly. The actorfilmmaker says, “I and my father are not new to breaking rules. Daddy released [directly] on Doordarshan. We did the same with Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayee (1993 ). Nobody in the industry even considered making a film exclusively for satellite, but we did.”
She elaborates, “I chose not to give Cabaret a theatrical release. The world has changed with regards to how they wish to consume their content. Cinema halls are not the ‘holy temples’ they used to be anymore.”
Even producer Guneet Monga decided to release Tigers, directed by Danis Tanovic, on an OTT platform. She shares that gone are the days when film-makers had to fret over finding a theatrical release for their films.
“It is a great opportunity. It is a wise business call because it is very expensive to do marketing for a film’s release. Theatres are about weekends and numbers, which is not something smaller films can afford,” says Monga.
Love per Square Foot (2018) and Phir Se (2018) were not supposed to be released on OTT platforms, but finally made their way to the audiences via the digital route. Film exhibitor Akshaye Rathi says the trend is beneficial to the films as well as the platforms. “It is great for smaller films to release digitally. Also, the OTT players want enough content to maintain the subscriber base. It is a mutually beneficial scenario,” he explains.
Leena Yadav feels that it is important to embrace the change with time. “Many people are watching stuff on the web rather than in theatres! Release on an OTT platform means a much wider audience worldwide,” says the director.
On whether it was the lack of distributors that made her release her film online, she says, “That was not the case with Rajma Chawal. It was a choice not a compromise!”
However, trade analyst Joginder Tuteja feels that theatrical releases have their own charm. “Producers make a film thinking it will get a theatrical release. Films are releasing on OTT platforms because they were in the cold storage and so it’s like the last option for the makers. Tigers was stuck due to a controversy for last five to six years, Phir Se was stuck due to legal issues, and the same goes for Cabaret, which was stuck in production,” he says
I chose not to give Cabaret a theatrical release. The world has changed with regards to how they wish to consume their content. Cinema halls are not the ‘holy temples’ they used to be anymore.
POOJA BHATT, FILM-MAKER