Films like Three of Us, Laapataa Ladies, and Darlings have lots of connecting factors among them. Obviously, they all have strong female leads and a wonderful story to tell. But apart from this , the films are also extremely economical in nature. Money is as important as the story when in films — it can either make or break a movie’s success. In this case, over-the-top (OTT) platforms in particular, have come as a saving grace for talented filmmakers and young studios. Not only do they reduce costs for these people, but also help showcase their talent to scores of people at one go.
OTT releases are an easy way to success, but there has to be something new on the plate
OTT platforms are often used as a bypass by filmmakers in the traditional method of film distribution. A lot goes on in it, and involves dealing with multiple parties in the latter process. With streaming, a title can be released at once, for the world to see, with only one party to negotiate with. It’s simply a lot easier on one’s sanity and pocket this way. And because of the way these platforms have cemented themselves in a country like India, it’ll mostly be a smooth ride for a title once it lands a deal with them.
What instills hope in the steadying of these platforms is the quality of cinema that they deliver to the audience. If one has to make it big in the digital space, they have to bring in an X-factor that the audience has never experienced. That is precisely what happened with titles like Scam 1992, Panchayat, among many others. The platforms are a new playing field, and with new rules. They offered freedoms that don’t exist in theatrical releases. Netflix today boasts of a wide range of India originals that are each unique and heavy-hitting. Laapataa Ladies became so famous after its Netflix release that it outshined the success of Animal. The success of titles like these is that there need not always be a big name attached for it to become a huge success. People will watch anything, but will love it if it is shown in a new and right way.
Theatrical releases struggle while OTT releases thrive
The world was forced to consume streaming platforms when the pandemic hit. But because of the quality of content on them, their popularity increased. It was so much that it threatened the success of theatres and big-budget movies that went through the traditional pipeline. Today, these platforms are an arena of their own. Bollywood ran on the successes of big Friday releases and showbiz, and is now seeing its darkest period ever, 2 years after the pandemic ended. Streaming platforms are having a gala time on the other hand. Netflix India is soon going to release the 4th season of the hit series Kota Factory, and Amazon Prime Video had a great run with the release of the latest season of Panchayat.
