Since March 25, 2021, Lockdown has been imposed affecting Movie Theatre Supply Chain right from the Theatre to Production Team. Cinema Shootings stopped & workers in the industry had nowhere to go. Never in the past few decades did Movie Industry actually slow down.
OTT filled the gap with many movies being released there. OTT gave the space for new directors to turn out budget movies which attracted good number of audiences. Kerala directors led the nation in churning around good movies. Thx to OTT Platforms with subtitles, viewers across the globe had access to Good Cinema.
Though theatres opened partially in later half of 2021, moviegoers had declined since there were no star movies and viewers found it economical to watch a movie in OTT space rather than spending 2000 rs upward going to a Mall Movie theatre. 200 rs for a small popcorn packet. Noway are middle class Indians going to spend again anytime soon on such frills.
All along, middle class audiences not having any other form of entertainment found respite in movies. Movie industry hence did not democratize & talent became restricted to few groups. Others were not given chances since they would not find exhibitors willing to give theatres to them. As such, small directors did not get chance. OTT has opened that space. Viewers have become more discerning as well. They are not going to spend on a movie just because it has someone from a family. They are going to spend only if the movie has a story.
The death of Sushant Singh Rajput has opened everyone's eyes. It is clear that outsiders are not allowed so easily across all language industries. Only the insiders keep getting the chances. In such scenario, small cinema will prefer OTT space continuously because there is larger democratization there.
Gone are the days when the family mattered, not the story. Now story is important, not the family or group or affiliation.
