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B-Town: While cinemas offer sops, OTT platforms get aggressive

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Mumbai, March 24 (IANS) The film industry has lost its exclusivity. Now, what we have is a mammoth entertainment industry. And the film trade is just a part of this industry. The way the equations are changing, filmmaking, distributing and exhibition may end up becoming the smaller part of the entertainment industry.

That is not to say that film production will suffer. Far from it, production activity will only mushroom. What producers will be making will be called ‘Content’. Because, whenever they plan a project, OTT platforms will remain important for them. And the content will come in various forms: episodic serialisation or web series, feature-length films, shorts, and so on.

So, many aspiring filmmakers who could not even dream of making a feature film, now do the same but call it ‘content’.

Can you imagine that once upon a time, cinema owners in towns considered any other means of entertainment around them to be an ‘opposition’? In those days, a distributor whose film was being screened in any town would get a Daily Collection Report (DCR) and prominently listed on top of this report sheet were the ‘oppositions’ to this particular film.

The report listed not only the other films showing in cinemas, but also the local circus, magic shows, plays and so on! They were considered to be competition that could affect a film’s collections.

Initially, there were films and there was radio. And radio complemented the film business. Radio helped film music become popular, which in turn served as a draw for a film. That was an era when viewers would watch a film if they loved the music.

But then came television, which many called the idiot box!

Today, the film business is at its nadir, thanks to the ‘idiot box’ and the avenues it created over a period. What made television tick? Who fed it content? The filmmakers, the film industry itself.

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What was the USP of Doordarshan? The Sunday feature film, Saturday night award-winning film, or the Adult-certified film, and, most of all, film-based programmes such as Chhayageet or Chitrahar.

Then of course the video format started making a dent on the box office, with video piracy hurting the most. Then came satellite television film channels, another parasite feeding off the film industry. Every producer felt blessed selling satellite rights, thinking it was an extra buck.

But this spelt the end of repeat runs of films as well as 16mm business. Many cinemas in commercial areas screened matinee shows of old-time classics as their first show of the day and young people would throng the cinemas. This was followed by the screening of a new film rolled out in three shows a day.

That morning screening was called a matinee show and the tickets cost much less than the regular shows. That is how some stars came to be known as matinees idols; their repeat films drew maximum footfalls.

This was just the beginning.

The film industry was creating its own rivals because all those outlets providing small-screen or home entertainment were fed by cinema.

Now, we have OTT platforms, and, like radio, they can again be considered a part of the industry. They complement the business of making films. Initially, the OTT platforms bought films and added to the revenue of production houses without eating into their rights.

What these OTT platforms are doing now is that they are partnering with film and content makers. That is because, for one thing, these platforms did not have enough Indian content, and second, because the cinemas, in their new multiplex version, were greedy. That greed of cinema managements has made things easier for the OTT platforms to add to their subscriber base.

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But, now, the OTT platforms have decided to take a more aggressive stance.

Some time back, Netflix announced a slate of 24 new projects. In the past week, Amazon Prime Video rolled out a bigger slate of 69 new projects for 2024.

It will include sanctioned as well as licensed products. Besides the sequels to its serials, such as ‘Panchayat’, ‘Mirzapur’, ‘Pataal Lok’, ‘Bandissh Bandits’, ‘Suzhal – The Vortex, and so on, there are several big banner films.

What is amazing to note is that the sequels to major theatrical hits like ‘Don’ (three), ‘Housefull’ (five) and ‘Baaghi’ (four) have been acquired well in advance by Prime Video!

The stars on its roster include the likes of Shahid Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Anil Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan, Ranvir Singh, Tiger Shroff, Siddharth Malhotra, Vicky Kaushal, Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Ajay Devgn, Rajkummar Rao, Ram Charan and Pawan Kalyan, along with Nushratt Bharucha, Kriti Sanon, Triptii Dimri, Shraddha Kapoor, and so on.

The preference seems to be for successful sequels for obvious reasons.

Not to be left out, Jio Cinema, which has taken over Hotstar, is expected to make major announcements in April.

The highlight of all this outsourcing of content made by Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and more from Jio-Disney+Hotsar, is that they all engage well-known names, the regular filmmakers. You name one and he or she is making content for OTT.

So, what are the cinema managements doing? Making valiant efforts to stay afloat. The multiplex way of doing business has been an important factor in destroying the cinema business.

With admission rates ranging from Rs 200 to Rs 2,000-plus, who are you catering to?

Everybody who is in any kind of business is here because India has such a large consumer base. Take the example of mobile phone data pricing. The tariff started at Rs 16 a minute and few dared to buy a cell phone. Today, mobile data costs less than peanuts and it would be rare to find someone who does not own a phone!

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Likewise, take the example of airplane travel. It was a dream for many to sit in an airplane. Today, all airports are crowded and the airlines had to go ahead and order about 1,000 new airplanes!

What our multiplexes did was the opposite. They decided to set admission rates so high that the masses would not even dream of stepping into their cinemas. And, to think that once upon a time, these masses were the ones who thronged the halls from first day first show.

What today’s exhibition trade is doing is the same thing. Your admission rates cater to the elite, in this case, not the intellectual elite, but the moneyed kind.

You had an open run, denied playtime to films, dictated terms, and claimed a bigger share in box office collections than the filmmaker. Today, you have been reduced to offering packages or celebrating ‘cinema days’ with concessional rates.

You had a cinema day once in October, then you had a cinema lovers’ day more recently. Then, in August last year, you offered 10 movies for Rs 600. Now, you have created a package of four movies for Rs 349, except during weekends. But where are the films worth watching? Where are the footfalls?

Instead, of making all these offers with no takers, doesn’t it make more sense to just rationalise admission rates on the same scale as your offers. Why not go for volumes and make bigger box-office collections. That, as many others have realised, is the way to do business in India. You will get your audience back! Alterntively, OTT platforms will become bigger draws than the cinema theatre.

–IANS

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Salman Khan flaunts new hairdo in brand new pic on Instagram

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Mumbai, July 3 (IANS) Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, who will be next seen in ‘Sikandar’, on Wednesday took to Instagram and shared a picture of himself with a new hairdo.

In the picture, the actor could be seen sitting in the open in a contemplative mood wearing a black T-shirt.

He wrote in the caption, “Green Zone.”

Fans in the comments section were wondering if the new hairdo is for his film ‘Sikandar’, which marks Salman’s first collaboration with director A.R. Murugadoss of ‘Ghajini’ fame.

Murugadoss has so far worked with two Bollywood superstars — with Aamir Khan in ‘Ghajini’ and Akshay Kumar in ‘Holiday: A Soldier is Never Off Duty’, which also starred Sonakshi Sinha.

Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala under the banner of Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, ‘Sikandar’ is set to hit the theatres during Eid next year.

The film promises to be an action-packed thriller, aligning perfectly with Khan’s well-established persona of a larger-than-life hero.

–IANS

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Sidharth urges people to 'exercise caution' after fan alleges scam by actor's 'fanpage'

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Mumbai, July 3 (IANS) Actor Sidharth Malhotra on Wednesday reacted to news that his fan had allegedly been scammed of Rs 50 lakh, stating that neither he nor his family or team supports this, as he urged people to exercise caution when dealing with such matters.

According to media reports, a US-based fan of Sidharth named Minoo Vasudevan claimed on social media that a fanpage of the actor, which is run by Aliza and Husna Parveen, allegedly duped her of Rs 50 lakh.

Minoo accused the admins — Aliza and Husna — of creating fabricated stories about the ‘Student of the Year’ actor, and how his life is in danger because of his wife and actress Kiara Advani.

She also claimed that Aliza told her that Kiara forced Sidharth to marry her by threatening to kill his family, besides doing black magic on him.

The fan also shared how she paid charges to get the inside information about the actor, claiming that the total loss was to the tune of Rs 50 lakh.

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Reacting to the claims, Sidharth took to social media and posted a note, which read: “It has been brought to my attention that certain fraudulent activities/scams have been circulating on various social media platforms, allegedly claiming to be associated with or in relation to me, my family and people claiming to be my fans and seeking money.”

“I want to assure everyone reading this that neither I nor my family or team support any of this. I urge all of you to exercise caution when dealing with such matters. If you receive any suspicious requests, report them to the appropriate authorities and avoid spreading false information. My fans have always been my biggest strength and your trust and safety are my top priorities. Big Love and Hug,” added the ‘Ek Villain’ actor.

In the caption, Sidharth wrote: “To all my fans.”

Sidharth married Kiara on February 7, 2023, in Jaisalmer in a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony.

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On the work front, Sidharth was last seen in the action thriller ‘Yodha’ co-starring Raashii Khanna and Disha Patani.

–IANS

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'No more comments': Luv Sinha deletes X post on not attending sister Sonakshi’s wedding

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Mumbai, July 3 (IANS) Bollywood actress Sonakshi Sinha’s brother Luv Sinha, who recently shared the reason behind not attending his sister’s wedding in Mumbai on social media, has now deleted the said post.

Luv Sinha, who was last seen in the Sunny Deol-starrer ‘Gadar 2’, earlier took to X to state that he didn’t approve of his sister’s marriage to Zaheer Iqbal.

Sharing a news article with his post, the actor wrote, “Why I chose not to attend. Running an online campaign against me on a false premise won’t change the fact that for me, my family will always come first.”

However, now the actor has deleted the post in question and issued another statement saying that the words in his second tweet were wrongly attributed to him.

He wrote, “The quote that is being incorrectly attributed to me is not my statement, and was written in an article by a senior journalist. The matter is now closed, and I will not be commenting on it any further”.

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Sonakshi and Zaheer exchanged wedding vows on June 23 in Mumbai under the Special Marriage Act of the Indian Constitution. While the celebrations of the newly-wed couple were attended by the bigwigs from the film fraternity, her twin brothers Luv and Kush were absent from the festivities.

–IANS

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'Bigg Boss OTT 3': Ranvir, Armaan rubbish Vishal-Lovekesh's 'just for the show' friendship

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Mumbai, July 3 (IANS) Actor Ranvir Shorey, who is currently a part of the streaming reality show ‘Bigg Boss OTT 3’, spoke with his fellow contestant Armaan Malik about the friendship between Vishal and Lovekesh.

The duo concluded that the friendship between Vishal and Lovekesh is just for the show, as it lacks substance in real life.

Armaan also expressed his disappointment over a recent disagreement with Lovekesh, saying, “After our fight yesterday, I had to eat leftover roti because he didn’t make fresh ones for me. Later, I heard he was telling others that I should have made fresh rotis for him to appear generous even after our argument.”

Ranvir questioned if Lovekesh’s actions were merely for the show, to which Armaan affirmed, noting his familiarity with the show’s format.

Ranvir said, “I feel Lovekesh and Vishal are playing up this brotherly friendship angle for the cameras. It seems like a strategy they’ve planned from outside — to stick together and subtly undermine others.”

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Armaan concurred as he suggested that their friendship might not be as genuine as portrayed.

‘Bigg Boss OTT 3’ streams on JioCinema Premium.

–IANS

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How social media has been a game-changer for actress Shivangi Verma

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Mumbai, July 3 (IANS) Actress Shivangi Verma has shared how social media has played a significant role in her life and career, calling it a game-changer and blessing for artistes like her.

Known for her work in the show ‘Choti Sarrdaarni’, Shivangi said: “Social media plays a very important role in my life. It’s a game-changer. If used right, it can take someone from zero to 100 in terms of fame and recognition. For artistes like me, who might not have received the respect they deserve solely based on their talent, social media has been a blessing.”

“Initially, I was hesitant about it, but my mother encouraged me to showcase my work and personality online. As a result, things started working in my favour. I’ve been cast in significant projects through social media, such as the biggest music album of my career with Himesh Reshammiya and other projects in 2021,” she said.

The actress also said that she stays in touch with many influential casting directors and industry people through her social media platforms.

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“However, I also understand the importance of setting boundaries. Too much of anything can be harmful. Social media can expose us to all kinds of people, both good and bad, and sometimes inappropriate content. But despite its downsides, I find social media to be the best thing.”

“Social media has enhanced my career significantly, adding more stars to it. Through social media, people have come to know me better and more deeply. Many of my casting opportunities have come directly from social media, and I believe it will continue to play a crucial role in my career growth,” she added.

On the algorithm changes and fluctuations in views on reels, Shivangi said that she takes social media seriously but does not get frustrated when her reels do not receive views. Instead, she works harder to improve her content and increase their circulation.

–IANS

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