2021: The year of OTT streaming platforms

Just when one thought that, finally, 2021 has proved to be better than 2020, in reality, it proved to be a year of more uncertainties.

At least in 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic struck, one was scared, wary, and knew this pandemic had to be waited out. There was no time limit for when the end to the restrictions enforced by the medical experts and the governments; staying confined and hoping it would end soon was the only alternative.

Things started to look positive as 2021 dawned. Vaccinations were instilling confidence in people; businesses, industries and shops were back on their feet; and film shootings were resuming with a number of precautionary measures to be adhered to.

There were so many OTT platforms, it was tough for a viewer to keep track of what was showing where. Yet, the few serials on OTTs that were watched and talked about have been: Special Ops, Arya, Family Man, MIrzapur, Panchayat, Kota Factory, Sacred Games, Delhi Crime and Inside Edge, which is in its Season 3, but the best OTT serial in Hindi has been Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story. Then, it is no wonder the viewers are attracted more towards content from abroad.

The shootings had commenced with conditions, but the outlets, the cinema screens, were not opened yet. The makers with completed films turned to the OTT platforms. It worked well for the filmmaker. It was instant cash and no worries about the performance-based recovery of a film's costs. The films were now being premiered on OTT platforms. Actors had no hassle working for OTT films instead. Acting was more of a profession than passion one started off with. And, come to think of it, an OTT release meant more remuneration in the shortest time. Resultantly, most top stars shifted their loyalties to OTT premieres.

Starring Salman Khan (Radhe), Akshay Kumar (Atrangi Re), Ajay Devgn (Bhuj), Abhishek Bachchan (Big Bull and Bob Biswas), Saif Ali Khan and Arjun Kapoor (Bhoot Police), Vicky Kaushal (Sardar Udham), Farhan Akhtar (Toofan), Siddharth Malhotra (Shershah), Vidya Balan (Sherni), Kriti Sanon (Mimi), Shilpa Shetty (Hungama 2), Kajol (Tribhanga), all these major star films premiered on OTT platforms and it did not matter to the stars if they were not screened in cinema halls. Sadly, almost all these films failed even on OTT! With the same restrictions and at the same cinema halls, a few Hollywood franchises were collecting in crores. The latest Hollywood release, Spider-Man: No Way Home has taken the box office by storm by collecting about Rs 180 crore (and still going strong).

Things seemed to be easing just before the Diwali festival, the most appropriate time for business.A number of films were lined up for release, such as Bell Bottom, Sooryavanshi, 83 and Antim: The Final Truth. But, alas, most did not work with the audience. The only film that managed decent footfalls was Sooryavanshi.

Just when the cinema business was staging a comeback, the Omicron variant struck. Already, filmmakers are having second thoughts and Jersey, a Shahid Kapoor film, slated to release on the last Friday of the year, has been held back. The state governments are on high alert again. The Delhi government was quick to announce a complete closure of cinemas again. Some other states, which had allowed 100 per cent occupancy, have again limited it to 50 per cent.

While the year 2021 caused a lot of pain and losses to the producers and the exhibition business, it has worked well for the OTT platforms. The cine-goer who loves cinema has taken to OTT platforms. That is where the stars are to be found now! IANS

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