Even as he is glad that Yaara is seeing the light of day, director Tigmanshu Dhulia rues movie was designed for the big screen
Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; July 6, 2020)

Director Tigmanshu Dhulia has mixed feelings about the digital premiere of his film, Yaara. While he is relieved that the Vidyut Jammwal and Shruti Haasan-starrer is finally seeing the light of day after being stuck in the cans for over three years, the director admits he had hoped for a big-screen release.

"Only the producer can answer why the film was stuck all this while. I believe we have no option but to release our films on OTT platforms amid the Coronavirus pandemic. I am thrilled that people will be able to watch this film finally. Despite the delay, it will not look dated because the story is set in a certain period," he states.

Yaara is an official adaptation of the 2011 French film, Les Lyonnais. The movie, also featuring Amit Sadh and Vijay Varma, revolves around four friends who enter the world of organised crime. Even as several big-ticket films are seeking a digital release, Dhulia acknowledges that he had envisioned his story unfolding on the 70mm screen. "I feel bad [about the direct-to-web release] of Yaara because it was made for a theatrical release. It is not a concept-driven film. It was mounted on a big scale and shot across nine locations, including Bhopal, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Mumbai, Dehradun, Kathmandu and Romania," he says.

The director adds that the medium plays a crucial role in determining narrative style. "I would have made Yaara differently [for the digital platform] because OTT is a mix of films and television. In that case, the writing, blocking of scenes and the treatment of the script would have changed drastically."