<p>Grabbing a movie at a nearby multiplex with that jumbo box of caramel popcorn in one hand and a coke in another is now relegated to something you watched … in the movies!</p>.<p>Gone are the days when you could throw caution to the winds, grab your partner’s hand and jostle through enthused crowds surging for an entry into a cinema hall. With Covid-19 breathing down heavily upon the world and no cure anywhere in sight, humans have been reduced to a masked existence, in the obscurity of their homes and distanced by law.</p>.<p>The biggest film productions in India are being awaited but with a difference as watching a film is probably the last on one’s list of priorities. If not, then watching one in a fancy multiplex sure is. So, Akshay Kumar and Kiara Advani’s <span class="italic">Laxmmi Bomb</span>, Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana’s <span class="italic">Gulabo Sitabo,</span> Kiara Advani’s <span class="italic">Indoo Ki Jawaani</span>, Amitabh Bachchan’s <span class="italic">Jhund</span>, Abhishek Bachchan and Rajkummar Rao starrer <span class="italic">Ludo</span>, Vidya Balan’s <span class="italic">Shakuntala Devi,</span> Janhvi Kapoor’s Gunjan Saxena biopic, Kriti Sanon’s <span class="italic">Mimi</span>, Ananya Panday and Ishaan Khatter’s <span class="italic">Khaali Peeli</span> and Radhika Madan, Diana Penty and Sunny Kaushal’s <span class="italic">Shiddat</span> are through with shooting and ready for release.</p>.<p class="CrossHead Rag"><strong>Window of opportunity</strong></p>.<p>They are all undergoing their respective post-production modules before hitting the over-the-top (OTT) platforms — the only inevitable option left for the industry. With the entire nation, locked up at home, releasing these films digitally seems the best and most well-calculated plan. The most reasonable industry practice of retaining the initial two months of a movie release as an exclusive theatrical window before selling the rights to satellite channels or over the top platforms like Netflix or Amazon is a thing of the past. After all, it’s a matter of survival.</p>.<p>Film director Shoojit Sircar with actors Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana recently announced their upcoming film, <span class="italic">Gulabo Sitabo,</span> will directly release on Amazon Prime Video on June 12, instead of going to the big screen first. <span class="italic">Gulabo Sitabo</span> was slated for a theatrical release earlier this year before the Covid-19 pandemic led to a complete lockdown of the nation. “This is the dawn of a new era for Indian entertainment,” said director Sircar. “I am happy that a global audience will be able to watch our gritty dramedy, and enjoy what the film has in store for them. <span class="italic">Gulabo Sitabo</span> is a quirky, light-hearted movie the audience can enjoy with their families. It has been a wonderful experience working with Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana on the film,” added Sircar. With the digital release, <span class="italic">Gulabo Sitabo </span>will première across 200 countries and territories.</p>.<p>Capitalising on the move, Amazon Prime Video, India’s Director and Head, Content Vijay Subramaniam says, “It is the first step in our endeavour to bring superior cinematic experiences to our customer’s doorstep.” A Rising Sun Films production, <span class="italic">Gulabo Sitabo</span> is produced by Ronnie Lahiri and Sheel Kumar. The news surely does not augur well for the single screens and multiplexes across India reeling under the Covid-19 threat.</p>.<p>A few members of the Eastern India Motion Pictures of India even dashed off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take steps to stop producers from releasing films, primarily meant for theatres, on OTT platforms. The letter maintained that producers, who have signed contracts with single screens and multiplexes, should not be allowed to release their films on OTT sites. It would only add to the financial woes of cinema hall owners. Since mid-March, for over two months now, single screens and multiplexes have stopped screening any movies in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the Bengali film industry, a number of producers have lined up their ventures for release on OTT platforms.</p>.<p class="CrossHead"><strong>Point of irrelevance</strong></p>.<p>Producers, stung by the global pandemic and the lockdown constraints in India, have been selling off rights to the films to the online streaming platform. “It’s the uncertainty about the reopening of theatres that has led to producers deciding to go ahead with an online release instead,” says Pune-based, Marathi film industry artiste Mangesh Hiremath.</p>.<p>“How else will they recover their money? With the situation today looking dismal and no solution in sight for a year at least, filmmakers are left with little option but to look for other platforms to recover as much as they can,” says financial consultant Rakesh Goel who maintains, “It’s a pure survival tactic. And, one that cannot be dragged or put to question in a court of law either.”</p>.<p>Intriguingly, life is all set to change. Staying in quarantine within a mandatory lockdown has nipped in the bud all activities that we were used to.</p>.<p><strong>Losses suffered by film industry</strong></p>.<p> Multiplexes have been threatening to boycott producers and actors opting for digital releases until theatres open but this could be legally challenged as being anti-competitive. Producers, on their part, would be able to legally stream their films even if their contracts didn't contain a force majeure clause.<br /> Exhibitors earn anywhere between 50 percent to 60 percent from the ticket sales and are bound to be irate.<br /> Experts estimate the entertainment industry has already lost more than a thousand crores because of the<br />lockdown. Box office revenues have completely dried up and projects are being delayed, spelling huge losses for<br />the industry.</p>.<p><strong>Theatrical scores</strong></p>.<p>This year, after War and Kabir Singh, it was Ajay Devgn starrer Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior that drew in triple digits<br />- ₹367.65 crore (US$52 million) worldwide according to some reports, better even than Uri - The Surgical Strike that made<br />₹338 crore. And then, came Baaghi 3 released on March 6 that was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing nationwide<br />lockdown from 25 March 2020 and fell short of a century. Three lockdowns later, Baaghi 3, produced by Nadiadwala<br />Grandson Entertainment and Fox Star Studios, was re-released on Disney + Hotstar on 1 May 2020.</p>.<p>Angrezi Medium, Irrfan Khan's last, made at a budget of ₹30 crores, went on to be released on 13 March and was<br />drastically affected by the closure of cinema halls and multiplexes across India following the Covid-19 scare. It<br />went on to be re-released digitally, in less than a month of its theatrical release, on Disney + Hotstar on 6 April.</p>.<p><strong>Indian films set for OTT release</strong></p>.<p>Amazon Prime will also release seven films in five Indian languages directly on the digital platform and scheduled to<br />premiere between May and August.<br />* Ponmagal Vandhal (Tamil), starring Jyothika, Parthiban,<br />Bhagyaraj, Prathap Pothen and Pandiarajan, Ponmagal<br />Vandhal is a legal drama, will be screened from 29 May.<br />* Gulabo Sitabo (Hindi), starring Amitabh Bachchan and<br />Ayushmann Khurrana, earlier set to have a theatrical release<br />on 17 April 2020 will be released digitally now from 12th<br />June.<br />* Penguin (Tamil and Telugu), starring Keerthy Suresh, will be<br />released from 19th June.<br />* Starring Ragini Chandran, Siri Prahlad and veteran actor<br />Mukhyamantri Chandru, Law (Kannada), is being released<br />from 26th June.<br />* Featuring actors Danish Sait, Sal Yusuf and Pitobash as<br />leads, French Biryani (Kannada) will be released digitally from<br />24th July.</p>.<p>* The much-anticipated Shakuntala Devi (Hindi), featuring<br />Vidya Balan in the lead and featuring Sanya Malhotra, earlier<br />set for a theatrical release on 8 May, will now be released on<br />the Prime Video platform. The film's release date is yet to be<br />announced.<br />* The last of the lot, Sufiyum Sujatayum (Malayalam) starring<br />Aditi Rao Hydari and Jayasuruya is expected to have a digital<br />release during this period too. The film's release date is yet to<br />be announced.</p>.<p><strong>ZEE5</strong></p>.<p>* Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s Ghoomketu is slated for a 22 May<br />release on Zee5. The shooting of the film was completed in<br />2014 but owing to financial troubles and the inability to find<br />ideal distributors for the film release, the release was delayed.<br />The film was initially speculated to have its theatrical release<br />on 16 November 2018 but was postponed.</p>
<p>Grabbing a movie at a nearby multiplex with that jumbo box of caramel popcorn in one hand and a coke in another is now relegated to something you watched … in the movies!</p>.<p>Gone are the days when you could throw caution to the winds, grab your partner’s hand and jostle through enthused crowds surging for an entry into a cinema hall. With Covid-19 breathing down heavily upon the world and no cure anywhere in sight, humans have been reduced to a masked existence, in the obscurity of their homes and distanced by law.</p>.<p>The biggest film productions in India are being awaited but with a difference as watching a film is probably the last on one’s list of priorities. If not, then watching one in a fancy multiplex sure is. So, Akshay Kumar and Kiara Advani’s <span class="italic">Laxmmi Bomb</span>, Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana’s <span class="italic">Gulabo Sitabo,</span> Kiara Advani’s <span class="italic">Indoo Ki Jawaani</span>, Amitabh Bachchan’s <span class="italic">Jhund</span>, Abhishek Bachchan and Rajkummar Rao starrer <span class="italic">Ludo</span>, Vidya Balan’s <span class="italic">Shakuntala Devi,</span> Janhvi Kapoor’s Gunjan Saxena biopic, Kriti Sanon’s <span class="italic">Mimi</span>, Ananya Panday and Ishaan Khatter’s <span class="italic">Khaali Peeli</span> and Radhika Madan, Diana Penty and Sunny Kaushal’s <span class="italic">Shiddat</span> are through with shooting and ready for release.</p>.<p class="CrossHead Rag"><strong>Window of opportunity</strong></p>.<p>They are all undergoing their respective post-production modules before hitting the over-the-top (OTT) platforms — the only inevitable option left for the industry. With the entire nation, locked up at home, releasing these films digitally seems the best and most well-calculated plan. The most reasonable industry practice of retaining the initial two months of a movie release as an exclusive theatrical window before selling the rights to satellite channels or over the top platforms like Netflix or Amazon is a thing of the past. After all, it’s a matter of survival.</p>.<p>Film director Shoojit Sircar with actors Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana recently announced their upcoming film, <span class="italic">Gulabo Sitabo,</span> will directly release on Amazon Prime Video on June 12, instead of going to the big screen first. <span class="italic">Gulabo Sitabo</span> was slated for a theatrical release earlier this year before the Covid-19 pandemic led to a complete lockdown of the nation. “This is the dawn of a new era for Indian entertainment,” said director Sircar. “I am happy that a global audience will be able to watch our gritty dramedy, and enjoy what the film has in store for them. <span class="italic">Gulabo Sitabo</span> is a quirky, light-hearted movie the audience can enjoy with their families. It has been a wonderful experience working with Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana on the film,” added Sircar. With the digital release, <span class="italic">Gulabo Sitabo </span>will première across 200 countries and territories.</p>.<p>Capitalising on the move, Amazon Prime Video, India’s Director and Head, Content Vijay Subramaniam says, “It is the first step in our endeavour to bring superior cinematic experiences to our customer’s doorstep.” A Rising Sun Films production, <span class="italic">Gulabo Sitabo</span> is produced by Ronnie Lahiri and Sheel Kumar. The news surely does not augur well for the single screens and multiplexes across India reeling under the Covid-19 threat.</p>.<p>A few members of the Eastern India Motion Pictures of India even dashed off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take steps to stop producers from releasing films, primarily meant for theatres, on OTT platforms. The letter maintained that producers, who have signed contracts with single screens and multiplexes, should not be allowed to release their films on OTT sites. It would only add to the financial woes of cinema hall owners. Since mid-March, for over two months now, single screens and multiplexes have stopped screening any movies in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the Bengali film industry, a number of producers have lined up their ventures for release on OTT platforms.</p>.<p class="CrossHead"><strong>Point of irrelevance</strong></p>.<p>Producers, stung by the global pandemic and the lockdown constraints in India, have been selling off rights to the films to the online streaming platform. “It’s the uncertainty about the reopening of theatres that has led to producers deciding to go ahead with an online release instead,” says Pune-based, Marathi film industry artiste Mangesh Hiremath.</p>.<p>“How else will they recover their money? With the situation today looking dismal and no solution in sight for a year at least, filmmakers are left with little option but to look for other platforms to recover as much as they can,” says financial consultant Rakesh Goel who maintains, “It’s a pure survival tactic. And, one that cannot be dragged or put to question in a court of law either.”</p>.<p>Intriguingly, life is all set to change. Staying in quarantine within a mandatory lockdown has nipped in the bud all activities that we were used to.</p>.<p><strong>Losses suffered by film industry</strong></p>.<p> Multiplexes have been threatening to boycott producers and actors opting for digital releases until theatres open but this could be legally challenged as being anti-competitive. Producers, on their part, would be able to legally stream their films even if their contracts didn't contain a force majeure clause.<br /> Exhibitors earn anywhere between 50 percent to 60 percent from the ticket sales and are bound to be irate.<br /> Experts estimate the entertainment industry has already lost more than a thousand crores because of the<br />lockdown. Box office revenues have completely dried up and projects are being delayed, spelling huge losses for<br />the industry.</p>.<p><strong>Theatrical scores</strong></p>.<p>This year, after War and Kabir Singh, it was Ajay Devgn starrer Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior that drew in triple digits<br />- ₹367.65 crore (US$52 million) worldwide according to some reports, better even than Uri - The Surgical Strike that made<br />₹338 crore. And then, came Baaghi 3 released on March 6 that was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing nationwide<br />lockdown from 25 March 2020 and fell short of a century. Three lockdowns later, Baaghi 3, produced by Nadiadwala<br />Grandson Entertainment and Fox Star Studios, was re-released on Disney + Hotstar on 1 May 2020.</p>.<p>Angrezi Medium, Irrfan Khan's last, made at a budget of ₹30 crores, went on to be released on 13 March and was<br />drastically affected by the closure of cinema halls and multiplexes across India following the Covid-19 scare. It<br />went on to be re-released digitally, in less than a month of its theatrical release, on Disney + Hotstar on 6 April.</p>.<p><strong>Indian films set for OTT release</strong></p>.<p>Amazon Prime will also release seven films in five Indian languages directly on the digital platform and scheduled to<br />premiere between May and August.<br />* Ponmagal Vandhal (Tamil), starring Jyothika, Parthiban,<br />Bhagyaraj, Prathap Pothen and Pandiarajan, Ponmagal<br />Vandhal is a legal drama, will be screened from 29 May.<br />* Gulabo Sitabo (Hindi), starring Amitabh Bachchan and<br />Ayushmann Khurrana, earlier set to have a theatrical release<br />on 17 April 2020 will be released digitally now from 12th<br />June.<br />* Penguin (Tamil and Telugu), starring Keerthy Suresh, will be<br />released from 19th June.<br />* Starring Ragini Chandran, Siri Prahlad and veteran actor<br />Mukhyamantri Chandru, Law (Kannada), is being released<br />from 26th June.<br />* Featuring actors Danish Sait, Sal Yusuf and Pitobash as<br />leads, French Biryani (Kannada) will be released digitally from<br />24th July.</p>.<p>* The much-anticipated Shakuntala Devi (Hindi), featuring<br />Vidya Balan in the lead and featuring Sanya Malhotra, earlier<br />set for a theatrical release on 8 May, will now be released on<br />the Prime Video platform. The film's release date is yet to be<br />announced.<br />* The last of the lot, Sufiyum Sujatayum (Malayalam) starring<br />Aditi Rao Hydari and Jayasuruya is expected to have a digital<br />release during this period too. The film's release date is yet to<br />be announced.</p>.<p><strong>ZEE5</strong></p>.<p>* Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s Ghoomketu is slated for a 22 May<br />release on Zee5. The shooting of the film was completed in<br />2014 but owing to financial troubles and the inability to find<br />ideal distributors for the film release, the release was delayed.<br />The film was initially speculated to have its theatrical release<br />on 16 November 2018 but was postponed.</p>