The Coronavirus pandemic period witnessed a drastic shift in the content consumption habits of the Indian audiences. From theatres the focus shifted to OTT platforms, which promptly took the centre stage as the sole provider of fresh content during the lockdown. And now even when the cinema halls have reopened amid fear, the makers, it seems are still attracted to the large audience base that an OTT release fetches them.

Like in the West, the Indian film industry too, is witnessing a phase where theatrical releases are rapidly making their way on to OTT platforms. Take for instance Indoo Ki Jawaani (2020), which released in theatres on December 11 and premiered on a streaming platform on March 1 or Madam Chief Minister, starring Richa Chadha in the leading role, which released in theatres on January 22, and was out on a digital platform in March.

Rumours are rife that some much-awaited releases such as Sooryavanshi and Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai too, have opted for smaller theatre-to-OTT release window now. In fact, their gap could be even as small as just four weeks. Trade expert Atul Mohan feels such arrangements are the need of the hour. “What worked five years back, won’t work today. We have to change with the changing times, and adapt to the need of the public. In the West, they had day and date releases, and the window has shrunk,” he says.

Asserting that a film anyway completes a major chunk of its theatrical run in about two weeks, Mohan says that OTT release within weeks is quite feasible. “Maximum business for the biggest of films is done in the first weekend, which is 60 -70% of the total. The remaining is done in the next four-five days, after that a film is stretched unnecessarily. Films which do business in the second week are very rare such as Dangal in 2016,” he adds.

Abir Sengupta, who helmed Indoo Ki Jawani, admits that an OTT release without much delay helped his case. “I wanted the maximum number of people to watch it... Because of restrictions, a lot of people, including my parents, couldn’t go to theatres to watch it… I was waiting for its satellite and OTT release. It happened very fast, I was happy that atleast people got to watch it,” he explains.

However, trade analyst Taran Adarsh feels it’s a case of wait and watch for big budget films such as Sooryavanshi, until an official announcement is made. “No one has commented about this theatrical and OTT release coming in so closely. Small films were a different case than big ones. They’ll have big life in theatres I presume, because they are such films. Obviously, immediate release on OTT, if it does very well in theatres, would not (be feasible),” he explains.

Exhibitor Akshaye Rathi says a gap of 28 days between theatrical and OTT releases is good enough in the current scenario. “These are exceptional times which require exceptional solutions. All of us in the industry realise we are still not out of the pandemic and consumption is going to be hampered to some extent… 11%, 50 %, we don’t know. I think all of us in the industry, exhibitioners, producers, actors should work around these solutions. If that means a window is temporarily shortened, and everyone agrees to it, it’s fine,” he says.

But what about a scenario where audiences already know that a film will come on an OTT platform after a short gap and so they don’t go to a theatre and risk it or pay more money? Rathi says, “I don’t know if those films would be available in regular viewing models, most of them would be on pay-per-view model. It’s about the experience, so a lot may consider going out to cinemas, as there is a high degree of sanitisation measures. We are a country of 1.3 billion people, even if a fraction sees a film, it’ll work.”