Vishal Bhardawaj thinks good cinema struggles amid the OTT boom, calls it a difficult phase for filmmaking

Vishal Bhardawaj thinks good cinema struggles amid the OTT boom, calls it a difficult phase for filmmaking

• Vishal Bhardwaj says quality films face challenges in theaters
• Rising ticket prices and OTT platforms impact film success
• Many directors now focus on OTT projects over theatrical releases

Did our AI summary help?

Renowned director Vishal Bhardwaj asserts that significant and high-quality films are confronting critical issues in the fast-evolving entertainment industry. The filmmaker recently discussed the obstacles that creators face because of the emergence of OTT platforms, rising ticket prices for theaters, and changing viewer behaviors.

According to Haider director, the theatrical ecosystem is going through a difficult phase, making it harder for films that focus on storytelling and strong emotions to succeed commercially. “Now you won’t be able to raise money for them. Now there is a straight demarcation, ‘This is the subject, take it to OTT’ and OTT people say, ‘No, we don’t want it, release it in theatres first, then we will take it here’. Good films are getting beaten in the process," he said.

He then talked about how his fellow directors have shifted to streaming platforms now rather than just sticking to theatrical releases. He mentioned directors such as Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee, Shriram Raghavan, Vikramaditya Motwane, and Imtiaz Ali. He said many of them have shifted focus to OTT projects.

“We are in a very strange and difficult phase of filmmaking. I think it’s global… The films to be made for theatres have taken a totally new turn," he said.

The filmmaker also shared an incident that he came across when some of his friends asked him for money to watch his film. Explaining it he said, “I was in Delhi, and a few of my friends were going to watch my film. So they said, ‘Give us ₹6,000, we are going to watch your film’. They were three. I said, ‘Why 6,000?’ They said, ‘You don’t know, the ticket price is ₹1,900 rupees per seat in that (hall)’."

He mentioned that previous obstacles, like satellite television, had influenced movie attendance, but the present circumstances are distinct because films frequently become available on OTT platforms within eight weeks after their release in theaters.

Also read: Vishal Bhardwaj reveals he sent script to Shah Rukh Khan, hopes for future collaboration

Known for critically acclaimed films like Maqbool, Omkara, and Haider, Vishal has long been associated with content-driven cinema in Bollywood.