Is OTT the new 'big screen'?

The journey of cinema has been incredible and full of changes. In India, it started off with Dadasaheb Phalke's first full-length motion picture namely 'Raja Harishchandra', released in 1913. Phalke was later joined by film stalwarts like Ardeshir Irani, Chittoor V Nagaiah and V Shantaram, followed by Satyajit Ray, who took the initiative of revolutionizing the industry in terms of content, technology as well the medium used. Silent movies turned into talkies and the black and white cinema was colourized. Cinema, which was initially a medium to narrate folktales and showcase ancient Indian culture, now began to have a greater purpose. All of this established a fact that change was inevitable and one has to welcome it with open arms.

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world, things changed drastically once again, even before we could realise it. The shockwaves altered the functioning of the film business - postponing the release of big-budget movies, halting the productions, reshaping the distribution channels, revenue system etc. Theatres were shut down for an indefinite period of time, confining people to their houses with only limited sources of entertainment. These unprecedented times in turn favoured the rise of OTT (Over-The-Top) platforms, which we're witnessing a relatively slow growth ever since its launch (Reliance entertainment launched the first-ever Indian streamer namely BigFlix in 2008).

Ushering in the new era of entertainment

Even after the COVID-19 restrictions were eased, the audience chose to stay at home and avoid crowded cinema halls. The big question that was looming around about the return of 'theatre culture' was finally answered.

So instead of incurring losses by shelving the movie any longer, filmmakers took a bold step of skipping the theatrical release altogether and taking the OTT route.

The first Bollywood film that made its way to OTT was Shoojit Sircar directorial 'Gulabo Sitabo'. Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushman Khurana starrer was released on June 12, 2020. This decision, however, wasn't taken well by the multiplex chain owners, who felt that the step would hamper theatre business at large. INOX and PVR were among the first ones to release a statement and express displeasure over production houses' decision of skipping theatrical window run. They called out on the film industry for not standing by their partners in times of need and even threatened about 'retributive measures' that will be taken in the future. Eastern India Motion Pictures Association (EIMPA) also wrote a letter to the government about their apprehension on films getting released on OTTs directly. The whole debate turned bitter after a while.

Surprisingly, none of it affected big filmmakers' decision to follow Sircar's paths and release their movies on OTT.

Amid all the chaos, deals were signed by streaming apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and ZEE5 for the exclusive release of big-budget movies. The major ones on the list include 'Laxmii' (starring Akshay Kumar), 'Dil Bechara' (starring late Sushant Singh Rajput), 'Shakuntala Devi' (Starring Vidya Balan), 'Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl' (starring Jhanvi Kapoor) and many many more.

Content is 'finally' the king

In a recent interview, actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui said, "Most of the commercial cinema is brainless, especially the formulaic films. Thanks to OTT now, people watched world cinema during the pandemic. I hope they were educated by that. Otherwise, people thought films are all about hero, heroine, five songs and women being objectified. It was important for this kind of cinema to get impacted."

Nawaz's point of view is unarguably true that OTT brought in a great change by offering content that was not just 'different' but thought-provoking, radical and relatable. Apart from giving viewers options to choose from world-class cinema, streamers worked with Indian filmmakers and writers who were willing to experiment. They wrote stories that were closer to reality and set in familiar places (Unlike the dreamy foreign lands of the Bollywood films). Eventually, the success of projects like 'Pataal Lok', 'Mirzapur', 'Sacred Games', 'The Family Man', and 'Panchayat' proved that the audience was awaiting a change and is willing to watch anything new – even if it's dark. Characters full of flaws, coming from Kanpur, Bihar, Agra, Kota and fighting for survival, attracted viewers like never before.

Secondly, OTT helped in shifting the focus from so-called 'A-listers' to 'content' and 'performance'. Today, the spotlight can be on anyone and everyone who is willing to offer something out of the box. Viewers no longer care about prestigious names; all thanks to OTT. Stories have become the sole reason for a project's success or failure and this has further allowed the hidden and unnoticed talents to come to the front and show their potential.

Lastly, OTT made regional as well as low-budget films' release magnanimous. Movies that had always struggled for multiplex screens or were sidelined despite a great storyline are now getting all the attention they deserve. Director Anurag Kashyap, recalling an incident at the time of 'Gangs of Wasseypur's' theatrical release said, "My movie (which had no big stars as such) was doing very well until 'Ek Tha Tiger' came out. Within no time, 'Gangs of Wasseypur' was pushed out of the cinema halls and people flooded theatres to watch Salman on the big screen."

"But when a 'Gulabo Sitabo' or 'Laxxmi' was released on OTT, small-budget and no-star movies like 'Bamfaad' or 'Eeb Allay Ooo' remained unaffected. That's what OTT has done," he added.

Another example is Red Chillies' 'Bard of Blood', which was made with a budget of 50 crores. 'Mirzapur' on the other hand had a production cost of 2 crores. And everybody knows that latter did much better leading to another successful season.

OTT over theatres

10 years back, no one would have thought that OTT platforms can prove to be a threat to the theatre business. But the unexpected has happened. Making full use of the available opportunities, OTT giants developed a model that was hard to reject – by content makers as well as consumers.

According to a report published by Statista Research Department, India recorded over two billion U.S. dollars in revenue from over-the-top (OTT) and video services in 2020. This number is estimated to triple by 2026, at nearly seven billion. Disney+ Hotstar, Netflix, Zee5 and Amazon Prime Video were some of the key players of the video subscription market with 300 million, 11 million, 60 million and 13 million active users respectively.

Why is OTT better?

Cost-effective: To watch one movie, a viewer had to pay 300 Rs. Now the same amount can be used to buy the subscription package for a streamer and watch as many films/web shows as they want for a whole month.

Time-saving: Instead of travelling to far off theatres, now it's possible to sit in the comfort of your homes and watch anything at any time – whether it's 6 in the morning or 12 in the midnight.

A platter full of options: There is so much available on OTT that it has given birth to a new concept – 'personal viewing time' - where the audience scrolls down the multiple available options and choose content as per their taste and mood. From horror to thriller, comedy, drama and whatnot, there are uncountable options to watch under every category.

Access to international content: With OTT, one can watch content from any part of the world. Netflix alone has films in almost 30 foreign languages including Japanese, Danish, Arabic, German, Persian Indonesian. Some of the best ones are 'Pan's Labyrinth', 'Roma', 'Atlantics', 'IP Man' etc.

Wider reach: OTT reaching a large section of the audience has worked in the favour of writers and actors who want to earn name and fame without much publicity. 'Money Heist' is the best example to prove the power of OTT. The Spanish show was a big flop until its rights were bought by Netflix. And within no time, the show became one of the most-watched series on the streamer.