The honeymoon is over. Major OTT platforms are no more willing and ready to pay astronomical sums to producers to buy feature films which they want to dump on digital without taking the theatre route.
The OTT players have seen through the ruse . The most hard hit apparently, is Nawazuddin Siddiqui who has a slew of releases waiting to go on the digital domain.
But no buyers?
Says Nawaz, “This is news to me.To be very honest,once I complete a film I don’t keep track of its journey. Mera kaam hai acting karna . Usske aage main kuch nahin janta.”
Nawaz also adds that to him the format of screening is not relevant. “Whether my films are seen on the big screen or at home, I am equally excited about it. There is no difference in my mind between the two experiences.”
What about the fact that the viewership at home is distracted and disrespectful?
“Not true,” protests Nawaz. “Sacred Games is my most avidly watched work and the most loved performance of my career.And it’s on the digital platform Netflix . On the other hand, films like The Mountain Man and Raghav Raman where I worked really hard were hardly seen in movie theatres.”
