“The magic of theaters will continue to thrive,” says filmmaker Hansal Mehta

It has been close to four months since theaters across India are out of operation due to the Coronavirus pandemic. In absence of theatrical releases, a large chunk of the audience has shifted to OTT platforms to keep themselves entertained.

Additionally, a lot of filmmakers have chosen these OTT platforms as the new medium to reach out to the audience with their films which could not release in theaters due to the pandemic. The new trend has sparked off a debate around OTT vs theatres.

When renowned filmmaker Hansal Mehta was asked to comment on the same, he said, “Honestly, the magic of big screen, theaters will continue to thrive. But at the same time, for a filmmaker like me, the presence of OTT platforms means that, if need be, I don’t have to be tied to the vagaries of a Friday.”

Mehta’s award-winning films Shahid (2013) and Citylights (2014) and Aligarh (2016) have found a new lease of life on streaming platforms. “The kind of feedback I have got from people, who have watched Shahid or Aligarh now on OTT, is tremendous. Many may have missed out on watching them in theatres but it is a great feeling for me, as a filmmaker, that people are appreciating my work, regardless of the platform,” said the filmmaker.

Hansal Mehta’s next directorial is Chhalaang, starring Rajkummar Rao and Nushrat Bharucha in lead roles. Buzz has it that the film may directly release on OTT. When asked about the same, he said, “Let’s see what the producers do. Right now, there is no clarity on theatres reopening, so I don’t know what is going to happen.”