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While the pandemic is gradually ebbing away and people have started stepping out, theatres are yet to witness the footfall they used to before. Actor Aditya Deshmukh says that this is because when a film is available on an OTT platform, not many people want to spend money in a theatre, which adds up to quite a bit with tickets and food.
“Whenever we think of going to the theatres, the first thing they talk about is the media partners. There is a huge set of media partners that are involved including Netflix and all. If a film is going to be released on Netflix, then why not enjoy the same film at a cheap rate at home, rather than pay for a theatre ticket. They have to reduce the prices because the pricing of the food, as well as the ticket, are so immense that if someone wants to take the whole family to watch a film, they have to think about it twice. So, if we work on these things, then things can actually turn out good,” he says.
Also, he feels that the kind of content that is being loved by the audience has changed over the years.
“I think it is being affected because of the Covid and the mindset of an individual has changed over the years, the audience has changed, the generation has changed. They now want realistic content. They are not happy watching the same thing again and again. Nobody is now happy watching the mirch masala or the remake of Tollywood or Hollywood. And no one is really interested in someone’s biopic. The biggest examples were 83 and Pushpa which were released at the same time. 83 is a brilliant, wonderful film. And if a movie like 83 flops in front of Pushpa, I think Bollywood should learn. I have heard people saying, why will people go to watch 83 in the theatre when the whole match is on YouTube,” he says.
“Personally, I feel that Bollywood has to match good content with the OTT platform. Now Bollywood is diminishing like anything because of the content but there are so many governing bodies that censor content. But now they have to come up with other content as well. We have to improve the writing part also. And somewhere down the line, I really feel Bollywood is losing what they were before and it has impacted our entertainment industry post lockdown. The audience has shifted to the OTT platform.”
Talking about the recent films that he has enjoyed watching on the big screen, Aditya says,
“I watched Jug Jugg Jeeyo. I really enjoyed that film. It’s an amazing film. Anil Kapoor sir is an incredible actor. What timing and precision. I really feel everyone should watch that film. Not for others but for Anil Kapoor sir. His expressions and fun part cracks me out like anything. There was a point when I almost fell off from my seat,” he says, adding, “Sometimes the luck factor comes in. Sometimes few films do wonders. If you ask me, in the last 3-4 months, the only film I really enjoyed watching was Kashmir Files . What a film! I think every Indian should watch the film. I have heard that people from other nations are coming and watching the film, waiting in queues to watch. I watched The Kashmir Files twice. I think that says it all. There is no need to promote it if your subject is strong. It’s always about coming out of the box. Show something that has never been heard off, or thought off. My personal favourite director is Anurag Kashyap Sir. I love the way he thinks and makes films on out-of-the-box subjects. I am a big fan of this. Every time he surprises us with his subjects like Raman Raghav, Bombay Velvet. The trend has changed, the crowd has changed, and the audience has changed. The mindset has changed a lot. So, you have to write content keeping all this in mind. This will actually help to bring back the business.”
