Filmmakers need to work on great content, there will always be an audience: Raj B Shetty
2 years, 3 months ago

Filmmakers need to work on great content, there will always be an audience: Raj B Shetty

Hindustan Times  

According to actor-director Raj B Shetty, there shouldn’t be so much talk about competition between digital platforms and cinemas. “OTT is a business just like any other medium,” notes Shetty, whose recent venture, Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana, was released on an OTT platform and found wide success. He adds, “It’s all about the right film reaching the right audience.” Actor-director Raj B Shetty talks about OTT platforms and it’s takeover on the Kannada film industry The actor-director further elaborates that the Kannada film industry is also evolving, courtesy the presence of such a medium. He also believes that theatres have a shelf life as compared to OTT platforms, which help any film, be it a big budget one or small. Film watching has become a lifestyle now where people have two options — to drive to the nearest theatre, beat traffic, spend thousands of rupees and then decide whether the film was worthwhile, or sit at home and choose a film from a variety of options,” he says and continues, “People now choose the experience over the actual film.

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History of this topic

Strategic business moves give Bollywood a new lease of life
3 weeks, 2 days ago

Strategic business moves give Bollywood a new lease of life

Live Mint  

NEW DELHI : The tide may finally be turning for the Indian movie business with Dharma Productions' stake sale to Adar Poonawalla and the completion of the JioStar merger, according to experts. The latest film announcements—Farhan Akhtar's 120 Bahadur, Tiger Shroff’s Baaghi 4, Akshay Kumar’s Sky Force, and Shahid Kapoor’s Deva, among others—also indicate the clouds over Bollywood are indeed …

Smaller OTT platforms cash in on regional movie acquisitions as bigger players go slow build on originals
4 weeks, 1 day ago

Smaller OTT platforms cash in on regional movie acquisitions as bigger players go slow build on originals

Live Mint  

Regional-language video streaming platforms have tried to take advantage of bigger foreign players going slow on movie acquisitions and production of original content over the past few months. “Foreign OTT platforms have slowed down on buying smaller, non-star films, especially regional ones," said Sandeep Bansal, founder of Chaupal, an OTT that offers Punjabi, Haryanvi and Bhojpuri content. “We are spending …

Viewers spoilt for choice as hit franchises transcend platforms
1 month, 1 week ago

Viewers spoilt for choice as hit franchises transcend platforms

Live Mint  

Hit franchises having released initially as either theatrical films or OTT platform shows are no longer restricted to the medium they first arrived on. Streaming platforms provide the chance to delve deeper into characters' motivations and backstories, creating a more immersive connection with the audience," said Manish Menghani, director, content licensing, Prime Video, India. "Adapting successful OTT series into films …

Tamil cinema eyes Hindi heartland as Kanguva leads a new marketing wave
1 month, 1 week ago

Tamil cinema eyes Hindi heartland as Kanguva leads a new marketing wave

Live Mint  

After years of focusing on core southern markets, Tamil cinema is making significant strides to capture Hindi-speaking audiences. With Kanguva, starring Suriya, set to release this week, the film’s team is embracing a full-scale promotional blitz across northern India, mirroring the blockbuster success strategies of Telugu hits like RRR and Pushpa: The Rise. While recent Tamil star-studded films such as …

Most popular Indian OTT originals reach one-third of overall streaming universe amid content discovery challenges
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Most popular Indian OTT originals reach one-third of overall streaming universe amid content discovery challenges

Live Mint  

The most popular Indian OTT originals such as Panchayat and The Family Man clocked in viewership of 30-40 million, or just about one-third of the country’s overall paid streaming universe, which experts said was a “fairly decent trend." “While popular shows like The Family Man and Panchayat have captured the imagination of a significant audience, the diversity of content on …

OTT: A Canvas for Storytelling, Where New-Age Narratives Take Flight
1 month, 4 weeks ago

OTT: A Canvas for Storytelling, Where New-Age Narratives Take Flight

Hindustan Times  

OTT is a democratic platform for new-age stories, offering a space for diverse narratives and fostering innovation and authenticity in storytelling. The platform's diverse content and focus on international projects have inspired Indian filmmakers to push the envelope and create high-quality, original content.

Rishab Shetty says OTT platforms don't buy Kannada content: Forced to put our content on YouTube
4 months, 1 week ago

Rishab Shetty says OTT platforms don't buy Kannada content: Forced to put our content on YouTube

Hindustan Times  

Actor-director Rishab Shetty, who won the Best Actor Award at the 70th National Film Awards, on Friday said that he will not make ‘festival type’ films anymore because major OTT platforms don't usually buy Kannada content for streaming. ‘We are forced to put content on YouTube channels’ Rishab Shetty said that he is not likely to make 'festival type' films …

Varshangalkku Shesham Now streaming on OTT
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Varshangalkku Shesham Now streaming on OTT

Deccan Chronicle  

The much awaited Malayalam movie Varshangalkku Shesha has premiered on SonyEliv till Wednesday. The film stars noted actors Vineeth Srinivasan and Nivin Pauly, and is now available for viewers to enjoy from the comfort of their homes. A unique OTT release process Unlike the usual trend in the South Indian film industry where films usually hit streaming platforms within four …

Silence 2 actor Manoj Bajpayee: Nobody is a superstar on OTT; I'm happy to be relevant and working
7 months, 4 weeks ago

Silence 2 actor Manoj Bajpayee: Nobody is a superstar on OTT; I'm happy to be relevant and working

Hindustan Times  

Actor Manoj Bajpayee is perhaps one of the few mainstream actors who has maintained a fine balance between his OTT projects and theatrical releases. Manoj Bajpayee was last seen in Silence 2 Overwhelmed with the kind of variety to pick and choose from, the actor says, “This is the USP of OTT platforms where you can experiment a lot with …

7 releases but no audience! Is OTT taking a toll on theatrical releases in India?
8 months ago

7 releases but no audience! Is OTT taking a toll on theatrical releases in India?

India TV News  

The month of April is being very cold for Bollywood films. Many big-budget films were released in theatres, but not a single one is running successfully. The film made bumper earnings, but all the films released after this film, could not live up to the expectations. Enticing offers too failed at filling in the theatre seats There are seven films …

How female filmmakers in Tamil Nadu are using streaming platforms to up the ante
8 months, 1 week ago

How female filmmakers in Tamil Nadu are using streaming platforms to up the ante

The Hindu  

After the boom of streaming platforms and the myriad range of content it introduced to housebound consumers during the pandemic-induced lockdown, it’s safe to say that the medium has settled with the masses. Commissioning stories from the heart Director Nandhini JS who made one of the first Tamil web series, Nila Nila Odi Vaa in 2018, recently returned with Prime …

Regional films lag even as Hindi box office soars
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Regional films lag even as Hindi box office soars

Live Mint  

Smaller regional language industries such as Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali and Gujarati saw a dip in footfalls and revenue in 2023 despite ticket prices not rising, according to media consulting firm Ormax. According to the Ormax Box Office Report 2023, gross box office collections for Kannada films shrank a staggering 61%, while those of Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali and Gujarati cinema …

Kerala launches country’s first government-backed OTT platform ‘CSpace’
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Kerala launches country’s first government-backed OTT platform ‘CSpace’

Hindustan Times  

Kochi: Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched India’s first state-run over-the-top platform ‘CSpace’ in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday. In the first phase, 42 films, including 35 feature films, six documentaries and one short film have been admitted to CSpace The platform, which will be managed by the Kerala State Film Development Corporation, will feature award-winning films, short films, documentaries and other …

Free speech on OTT: A Kerala model for films
10 months ago

Free speech on OTT: A Kerala model for films

Hindustan Times  

When Netflix removed Nayanthara-starrer Annapoorani under pressure from Hindu right-wing groups, many Indian OTT subscribers wished for a platform that could shrug off such threats. C-Space, an OTT platform proposed to be launched by the government of Kerala, may not be the answer, but, hopefully, it won’t bend to pressures from non-State actors. OTT players have succumbed to the pressures …

Small film makers requests Revanth to start govt-backed OTT platform
10 months, 4 weeks ago

Small film makers requests Revanth to start govt-backed OTT platform

Deccan Chronicle  

Accusing step-motherly treatment by Tollywood bigwigs, small-budget film makers in the Telugu film industry have asked the Telangana government to take an initiative to start a new Over-the-top platform, which can allow them to release their movies to a vastly large audience.London Ganesh, a non-resident Indian who has been producing movies since 2013, met Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy during …

Film industry boundaries are vanishing in India: Rakshit Shetty
1 year, 2 months ago

Film industry boundaries are vanishing in India: Rakshit Shetty

Deccan Chronicle  

On winning the National Award for 777 Charlie, Kannada actor Rakshit Shetty felt nothing but gratitude. His recent film Sapthasagaradache Ello garnered good response from the Telugu audience. In an exclusive interview with Deccan Chronicle, Rakshit observes that the boundaries between multiple film industries within India are vanishing leading to emergence of Indian cinema. But in Telugu, I believe there …

Rakshit Shetty: Not in a rush to go pan-India for every film
1 year, 3 months ago

Rakshit Shetty: Not in a rush to go pan-India for every film

New Indian Express  

“Romance is a universally appealing theme, and success in Karnataka could naturally lead to expansion to other states. Though SSE was made as a Kannada film, we can’t confine a film ourselves. We’re not in a rush for every film to go pan-India, nor do all films have that scope. It’s crucial to establish a strong foothold in Karnataka first, …

Sanjay Kapoor: OTT revived my career but you can’t say that an actor who can’t get films, gets into OTT
1 year, 4 months ago

Sanjay Kapoor: OTT revived my career but you can’t say that an actor who can’t get films, gets into OTT

Hindustan Times  

From films and anthologies to web series, Sanjay Kapoor has been a part of all formats on OTT with projects such as The Fame Game, Bloody Daddy, Lust Stories and the latest Made in Heaven 2 among others. So, we can’t say that an actor who is not doing or getting films, move towards OTT,” states Kapoor. As for Bloody …

Relieved N Shankar to focus on studio, movies
1 year, 5 months ago

Relieved N Shankar to focus on studio, movies

Deccan Chronicle  

With the Telangana High Court on Friday dismissing a public interest litigation against the allotment of land to film director N. Shankar, paving way for him to build his TV and film studio. Actually, the director has made hard-hitting movies like 'Jeyam Manadera’, ‘Sri Ramulayya', 'Bhadrachalam' and ‘Jai Bolo Telangana’ to carve a niche for himself in Tollywood. “He made …

OTT apps vie for premium English content viewers
1 year, 6 months ago

OTT apps vie for premium English content viewers

Live Mint  

With JioCinema forging content deals with Warner, HBO and NBCUniversal, media and entertainment industry experts say the competition has turned intense for premium, English language content offerings in India. In a recent interview, Gaurav Banerjee, head-content, Disney+ Hotstar and HSM, entertainment network, Disney Star said international content, from the house of Marvel, Disney, Pixar, National Geographic and Twentieth Century Studios …

Why are Malayalam films struggling to attract theatrical audiences?
1 year, 10 months ago

Why are Malayalam films struggling to attract theatrical audiences?

The Hindu  

Movie buffs who religiously head to theatres in Kerala on Fridays are now getting used to a disappointing sight when the movie they are intending to watch is not a big release. However, anyone who has seen 12 Angry Men, The Man from Earth or even Mahesh Narayanan’s recent C U Soon would not doubt the potency of a film …

What Bollywood should learn from the pan-India success of Rishab Shetty's Kantara
2 years, 1 month ago

What Bollywood should learn from the pan-India success of Rishab Shetty's Kantara

Firstpost  

It’s been almost three weeks that the Hindi version of Rishab Shetty’s Kantara has been dominating the box office. Despite the release of Bollywood biggies during Diwali like Ram Setu and Thank God, the Kannada mass entertainer continued to garner footfalls and became a super-successful venture in the Hindi-speaking markets. “The unknown is more than the known” no one could …

OTT Tamil movies: Ponniyin Selvan I to Jai Bhim, films that provide surreal cinematic experience
2 years, 1 month ago

OTT Tamil movies: Ponniyin Selvan I to Jai Bhim, films that provide surreal cinematic experience

India TV News  

OTT Tamil movies: Tamil cinema has dominated the box office in India in recent years. Some Tamil films have done exceptionally well in theatres and on OTT platforms as well, such as Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, ZEE5, Disney+ Hotstar, and others. From Ponniyin Selvan I to Jai Bhim, there are Tamil films that have been an absolute gamechanger in Indian …

Kannada OTTs: Driven by passion, stunted by lack of funds
2 years, 1 month ago

Kannada OTTs: Driven by passion, stunted by lack of funds

The Hindu  

In 2020, during COVID-19 lockdown, consumption of digital content spiked across the country and over-the-top services saw an increased traffic of new users, even from tier-two cities. Focus on medium-budget content For Kannada OTT start-ups, caught in a David versus Goliath tussle with multinational companies like Netflix and Amazon, that have been in the distribution game for over 20 years …

Kannada films make waves, but struggle for space on streaming platforms
2 years, 1 month ago

Kannada films make waves, but struggle for space on streaming platforms

The Hindu  

The spotlight is on the Kannada film industry after many decades. Unexplored market Kannada still remains a largely unexplored and untested market for streaming platforms, which, over the last two years, have become more risk averse after their investments on content backfired and failed to earn returns during the boom period of the pandemic, said a senior content curator in …

Boycott Bollywood, OTT vs Theatre Have Stirred Up Movie Industry but What Are Viewers Really Looking For?
2 years, 4 months ago

Boycott Bollywood, OTT vs Theatre Have Stirred Up Movie Industry but What Are Viewers Really Looking For?

News 18  

Cineworld, the second largest theatre chain globally, is inching closer to its demise. Out of all films Khan has done in this millennium, ‘Lal Singh Chadha’ opened to the weakest financial response — just Rs 11.7 crore. Take ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’, ‘Kashmir Files’, and other south Indian films like ‘RRR’, which attracted people to the cinema hall in large numbers,” …

Suzhal's success proves collaboration is the way forward: Pushkar-Gayatri
2 years, 5 months ago

Suzhal's success proves collaboration is the way forward: Pushkar-Gayatri

Firstpost  

This first Amazon original web series in Tamil dropped on June 17 and the astounding global success and accolades ‘ Suzhal -The Vortex ’ has had, proves that good content and storytelling – irrespective of the language - will be appreciated by everyone. Pushkar and Gayatri, the writing-directing husband-wife duo, have seen success with their previous work and ‘Suzhal – …

Understanding the A, B and C of cinema
2 years, 8 months ago

Understanding the A, B and C of cinema

The Hindu  

When Ajith Kumar and director Siva came together for the third time for Vivegam, following their previous two successful films Veeram and Vedalam, little did they foresee that it would become a fodder for memes on social media. The Pongal of 2019 is a great example to understand the C of cinema: Ajith Kumar’s rural drama Viswasam was pitted against …

The 'pan-Indian' strategy of Telugu cinema
2 years, 11 months ago

The 'pan-Indian' strategy of Telugu cinema

The Hindu  

When you think of ‘pan-India’ as a phenomenon, it is invariably the Baahubali films that come to mind. Industry experts and trade pundits often attribute S.S. Rajamouli’s spectacle to having changed the landscape of Indian cinema and having broken the language barriers to emerge as, perhaps, the first true-blue product of pan-Indian cinema. THE GIST Industry experts often attribute S.S. …

2021: The year of perfect co-existence between OTT and theatres
2 years, 11 months ago

2021: The year of perfect co-existence between OTT and theatres

Hindustan Times  

The shadow of the pandemic continued in 2021, but unlike 2020, the industry coped better. While many big films, including Shershaah, Mimi, Bhuj: The Pride of India and Sardar Udham, released on OTT platforms, some also managed to hit the theatres, including Sooryavanshi, Mumbai Saga, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Bell Bottom, Antim: The Final Truth, Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui and ‘83. …

Films clashes on the web: It’s more business play than content conflict, say fraternity members
3 years, 4 months ago

Films clashes on the web: It’s more business play than content conflict, say fraternity members

Hindustan Times  

Gone are the days of the much-hyped big Bollywood clashes on the big screen as theatres continue to wait for revival amid the Covid-19 crisis and OTT space emerging as the place for face-offs. Last week, Shilpa Shetty Kundra’s comeback vehicle Hungama 2 released digitally, clashing with Vikrant Massey and Kriti Kharbanda starrer 14 Phere. The established customer can see …

OTT Platforms Democratise Film Industry, Bring in Diverse Cultures and Talents to Forefront
3 years, 5 months ago

OTT Platforms Democratise Film Industry, Bring in Diverse Cultures and Talents to Forefront

News 18  

Covid-19 pandemic has changed our lives in many ways and one of them is the way we watch films. OTT platforms are the new cinema halls for movie goers… we mean movie watchers – you don’t need to go anywhere now to watch films, other than from one room to another in your homes. “There’s a huge talent pool in …

Priyanka Chopra Says Film Industry Was Monopolised By Few People: 'OTT Gives Chance to New Talent'
3 years, 6 months ago

Priyanka Chopra Says Film Industry Was Monopolised By Few People: 'OTT Gives Chance to New Talent'

News 18  

Actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas has said that streaming platforms have given several new artistes an opportunity to showcase their talent, unlike the film industry which has been “monopolised” for the longest time by “a specific number of people.” Priyanka, who made her impressive digital debut with The White Tiger this year, said that it’s about time people embrace OTT platforms …

Over 10 Tamil films eye direct OTT premiere as Kollywood industry remains divided on influx of digital platforms
3 years, 6 months ago

Over 10 Tamil films eye direct OTT premiere as Kollywood industry remains divided on influx of digital platforms

Firstpost  

During the first wave of Covid-19 last year, Tamil cinema witnessed a small number of films going the OTT way. After small films such as Andhagaaram and Mandela made waves on Netflix, bigger ones in the form of Nayanthara’s Netrikann, Vijay Sethupathi’s Tughlaq Darbar, Arun Vijay’s Border, the long-delayed Karthick Naren directorial Naragasooran are now in serious talks with leading …

Highs and lows of OTT: Celebs weigh in!
3 years, 7 months ago

Highs and lows of OTT: Celebs weigh in!

Hindustan Times  

Last year, India’s over-the-top streaming platforms were one of the fastest growing markets. It’s exciting.” Delhi Crime’s Rasika Dugal, too, agrees that “there’s room for everyone”, and that’s what she likes about the current phase of the OTT space. Thank God for OTT, as it provided entertainment and helped us all in a big way,” says the Aarya actor, adding, …

Abhay Deol: OTT came in to show that we as a culture are capable of far more than what Bollywood shows us
3 years, 7 months ago

Abhay Deol: OTT came in to show that we as a culture are capable of far more than what Bollywood shows us

Hindustan Times  

Abhay Deol has been part of Bollywood’s indie revolution right from the beginning of his career, and has been dabbling with web content, too. There’s no point getting in their way, so might as well embrace it.” The 45-year-old, who starred in the web film Chopsticks and the recent show 1962: The War in the Hills, feels that a lot …

Mohanlal: We create movies for the audience alone
3 years, 9 months ago

Mohanlal: We create movies for the audience alone

Hindustan Times  

The world is seeing the rise of OTT platforms and much credit for this phenomenon can be given to the Covid-19 pandemic. Malayalam superstar Mohanlal feels OTT platforms provide a wider segment of audience “OTT platforms provide a global stage and a wider audience which helps an artiste’s hard work reach many people. There are multiple other perks, one of …

Puneeth Rajkumar: Soon, we will have Kannada web shows as well
3 years, 9 months ago

Puneeth Rajkumar: Soon, we will have Kannada web shows as well

Hindustan Times  

Cinema and OTT will continue to coexist and both mediums have great potential and more entertainment for audiences,” shares Puneeth Rajkumar, about his views on the debate on the two mediums. Last year, everyone wanted to be on the OTT boom bandwagon and Rajkumar, too, is excited about the prospects of the digital platforms. There have been some really interesting …

This Is How Regional-Language Content Exploded on OTT Platforms in 2020
4 years ago

This Is How Regional-Language Content Exploded on OTT Platforms in 2020

News 18  

Many predicted that the closing of theaters for most part of the year will make 2020 the worst year for cinema. Statistics released by Hotstar India, based on streaming giant’s pan-India consumer base, stated that the regional-language content contributed to more than 40% video consumption, with Tamil, Telugu and Bengali topping the viewing patterns. Kollywood’s popular face Jyothika, whose film …

Actors On OTT Platforms Are Setting New Standards, Says Shekhar Kapur
4 years, 3 months ago

Actors On OTT Platforms Are Setting New Standards, Says Shekhar Kapur

News 18  

Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur is impressed with the amazing new acting talents that the OTT space has been introducing to the world. “With cinema theatres closing down, and everyone watching series and films online, amazing new acting talent is coming on to the OTT platforms. With cinema theatres closing down, and everyone watching series and films online, amazing new acting talent …

Why Prabhas, Allu Arjun, Yash and other South Indian stars are planning to explore pan-Indian markets for their films
4 years, 4 months ago

Why Prabhas, Allu Arjun, Yash and other South Indian stars are planning to explore pan-Indian markets for their films

Firstpost  

Prabhas recently unveiled the first look of his multilingual Radhe Shyam opposite Pooja Hegde, and announced another one with Deepika Padukone. Telugu cinema’s leading star Allu Arjun who tasted phenomenal success with his Sankranti release Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo has decided to release all his upcoming films in Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi. While Vijay has proven his strong foothold in Tamil, Telugu, …

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