OTT Is the new mainstream

HYDERABAD: Over-The-Top (OTT) streaming services have changed the landscape of storytelling. And Tollywood mainstream filmmakers like Harish Shankar, Tharun Bhascker, Praveen Sattaru, Mahi .V Raghav, Pawan Sadineni, etc., are showing great interest in leveraging this new format.

There are some superhits on OTT like Mirzapur, The Family Man, etc. And the audience lapped up shows like Saas Bahu Aur Flamingo, Jubilee, Scam 1992, Save The Tigers, Parampara. But fame and recogniiton that mainstream cinema gives the filmmakers and actors when the film is a hit, is far superior to OTT success.

More liberty on OTT

Mahi .V Raghav, who made his OTT debut with Save The Tigers, says that the platform is as brilliant as the theatre, and gave him great recognition. He feels it enabled him to tell stories that he could never have told in a theatrical format, and also reach a wider audience beyond the Telugu-speaking world.

“My upcoming show Shaitan has several cuss words and violence, something I couldn’t have included in a theatrical format. But the response and recognition for the trailer and poster have been overwhelming,” he says, adding that the OTT provides more liberty to produce a more nuanced narrative.

He adds, “In a theatrical format the story is only narrated from the protagonist’s viewpoint, but on the OTT, it can be told from the points of view of multiple characters. For a director it’s a joy; that’s what excites us and that’s the reason we have taken OTT very seriously.” Filmmaker Tharun Bhascker produced a web series Room No 54, and also directed one episode in the anthology Pittakathalu. He feels that OTT has made people like him more adventurous.

“Also, the availability of consumption data on the OTT format is a huge asset for a filmmaker. We get to know how many people watched, what part the audience are repeatedly watching, etc. This data is amazing for a creator to learn audience tastes,” he says.

Not about ‘lack of offers’

Streaming services have changed the conventional theatrical experience and introduced binge-watching. However, while demand is growing, there’s a misconception that filmmakers turn to OTT because they find it difficult to bag a theatrical project. Filmmaker Pawan Sadineni describes this as unfortunate.  

“When I first did an OTT film in 2016, everyone laughed at me. People even advised me against attempting it, saying I may not get mainstream films.”

But look what’s happening now! All mainstream filmmakers are entering OTT because they have realised its potential and how stories can be narrated,” says Pawan.

He feels it’s time the film fraternity stops looking at OTT as ‘pocket money’, and sees it as a serious storytelling platform. “OTT audiences are larger than those for theatrical releases, so that’s even more exciting,” shares Pawan who also has a couple of theatrical releases lined up.

No box office pressure!

Be it an OTT or a feature film, at the end of the day, all filmmakers are concerned with making money. Commercially, the risk for a director is less with an OTT project because it’s the platform (streaming service) that is bearing the risk. And the lack of performance pressure at the box office gives great liberty to the filmmakers to experiment.

“There’s no box office pressure, but there’s a different kind of pressure. You have to be really good to win the audience’s love. A film on OTT has to compete for views with global content available on viewers’ fingertips, so it’s a different kind of challenge. As a filmmaker, I am also concerned about reviews and how my show is perceived, etc.” shares Pawan. But he adds, “Art is subjective, and all good stories will find their audience and appeal.”

Shelf life of a theatrical film has been cut short, says Ram Gopal Varma, filmmaker.

"A lot of filmmakers are eyeing the OTT space because of the long format of storytelling. It gives the filmmaker the time to develop character detailing (that’s a filmmaker’s joy and passion) which is not possible in the theatrical format. For instance, Narcos had two seasons with multiple one-hour episodes, and that’s not possible in a feature film. Moreover, the shelf life of a theatrical film has been cut short and OTT is taking over. These days, 60-70 percent of films are being made only for OTT. I am making a few films for the platform soon," the filmmaker said.