Web is turning stories into the real stars, feels Kabir
Bollywood’s brigade of directors is not staying away from the OTT bandwagon, and the latest to follow suit is Kabir Khan. The filmmaker, who is known for star-fronted blockbusters such as Ek Tha Tiger (2012) and Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015), feels these platforms have contributed in a huge way in making the stories the real star.
“It’s a very welcome change that today films without big stars are also doing well on the strength of the stories. Yes, 10 years ago that wouldn’t have been possible. Such films would have been appreciated but wouldn’t have done the numbers,” says Khan, adding that OTT platforms are also contributing to it, “where the stories have known actors, but not stars in the true sense of the term, and they are being appreciated and doing very well”.
He believes it’s a natural progression — “one that should continue and, hopefully, it will”.
Khan’s own maiden OTT venture was The Forgotten Army: Azaadi Ke Liye, which marked the web debut of Sunny Kaushal and acting debut of Sharvari. He says, “Just the fact that today I’m able to make such a show at the kind of budget I have with a fresh set of actors, is a huge movement. I don’t know if this would have been possible even five years ago.”
As someone who has studied economics in college and as a filmmaker who has tasted both success and failure at the box office, what does he have to say about the changing dynamics in the Indian entertainment industry?
Khan explains, “The realisation, that a lot of the consumption of stories is going to take place on the net, is there. Our problem with the industry has been the very low penetration of screens. The fact that a big mainstream film can reach only a few thousand screens versus a Chinese film which goes to 60,000 screens, shows the gap.”
Khan believes this is translating into more content being consumed on television or on digital platforms. “And therefore you see so much dependence on these platforms, on satellite rights, on digital rights to generate revenues,” he adds.