The Future of Movies: Will OTT Takeover Theatres?

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Theatres have ruled Indian cine-goers hearts for over a century now. From the era of Prithviraj Kapoor and Devika Rani to Ranbeer Kapoor and Deepika Padukone movie-buffs have created concepts like 200crore clubs, where movies have made a business of whopping 200 crores within few weeks, and cine-stars have been treated like gods. When OTTs entered the Indian entertainment industry in 2008 no one had imagined that these platforms are going to give tough competition to long-established theatre culture or would emerge as the strongest popular alternative to lavish cineplexes. Netflix was the first global OTT platform that entered India in 2016.

Back then it wasn’t even considered a strong competitor to popular TV channels leave Indian Film Industry. It made a niche among the elite upper and upper-middle class. People who wanted to see alternative and newer content opted for Netflix, although others stuck to popular channels and theatres still ruled the entertainment industry. The scenario changed when the global pandemic hit the world including India. Theatres had to shut down their operation and cine-lovers found the best alternative in OTTs. Even the film industry turned to these platforms due to extended lockdowns. Many mega-budget and popular films released on these platforms including Jahnvi Kapoor's Gunjan, Salman Khan’s Radhe, Sushant Singh Rajput’s last movie Dil Bechara and recently Siddharth Malhotra’s Kiara Advani’s Shershah.

OTTs have also introduced the new concept of web series to Indian entertainment lovers. Tightly knitted strong storylines and captivating performances have been able to glued viewers to their seats. Especially youth are showing immense interest and love to popular web series both in Hindi and English. These web series are not only offering content never seen before. Both Indian and International drama is available on these platforms. Netflix is particularly popular with youth both adults and teens. Web series like Mirzapur has been hugely successful over various seasons. The other Hindi web series which have found popularity among Indian viewers are Delhi Crime, Sacred Games, Jamtara, and Mismatched. These web series have been appreciated for their contemporary content and brilliant performances. Actors like Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Pankaj Tripathi, Vikrant Massey, Radhika Apte have been applauded for their brilliant performances. This is the first time Indian viewers have come out from their choice of traditional good-looking actors and giving credits to actors beyond their looks.

English web series also have trajected deeper than being the usual choice of urban viewers. Web series like F.R.I.E.N.D.S. is popular among viewers of all age group. Other series like Vampire Diaries, Never have I ever, Lucifer, Don’t Miss, Money Heist, Stranger things are particularly popular with teens and young adults. All these are an absolute delight to watch

The year 2021 has been one of the major years for Netflix not only it has planned 40 new web series but it has gained over 15.8 million new subscribers worldwide. Although no one can say that theatres are losing ground as they have their own loyal viewers. Lockdowns and Pandemic regulations may have shut them for time being but they definitely will gain once this period is over. But OTTs have definitely made their solid ground in the Indian entertainment scenario and are here to stay for the long term.

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