Director Dibakar Banerjee’s film Tees is in trouble, as the OTT platform, Netflix, which was supposed to release it has backed out. Starring actors Naseeruddin Shah, Kalki Koechlin and Huma Qureshi, the movie was shot, finished and delivered to the streaming platform. But, Banerjee has been “verbally” told by them that “they were not sure if this was the right time to release the film”. So, has it been shelved? “I haven’t been mailed anything to the effect,” the 53-year-old says.

While OTT is considered an artiste’s medium, where makers, writers and actors have the liberty to go all out with creativity, this instance suggests that filters have started seeping into the web space as well. “It’s not about guts, but the ease of business that is rapidly decreasing. The [OTT] platforms are now battling litigations, threats, FIRs, boycotts and trolling, just like theatrical distributors. They are dependent on the blessings of the government to function, mine data, hook eyeballs and [make] profit. Entertaining critique and active social relevance, like in all my earlier films, are now taboo,” he says.

A dialogue with the OTT platform to expedite the process of taking Tees to buyers is underway, he says: “A lot of people have shown interest in Tees, but whether it converts into a commercial buyout is yet to be seen. I have a long, lonely battle ahead like Khosla Ka Ghosla! (2006).”