It’s still uncertain times in Bollywood as films are not doing well at the box office. Filmmakers and exhibitors are doing their best to attract footfalls in theatres be it by dropping ticket prices or coming up with exciting food offers. One of the things that should be looked into by the industry, which Fatima Sana Shaikh feels is the gap between a film’s theatrical release and its OTT release.She says, “Pehle kya hota tha ki… film release hoti thi and then it would play in theatres and go off it. Toh hamare mind mein ye set hota tha ki if the film goes off theatres then woh miss ho jayegi and so there was an urge to catch it in theatres. However, now we know ki agar film theatre se chali gayi toh phir bhi miss nahi hogi because in two months it will come on OTT. So, there is no need or compulsion for you to watch movies in theatres today.”Talking about the solution, Fatima tells us, “I think the industry should come up with a set up where once the film releases in theatres then for an entire year or at least six months it won’t come on OTT or any channel. That is how you will create a want for people to go and watch new releases in theatres. Pattern has changed in the COVID era and we need to change this pattern again. This is a call that the industry needs to take. It has to be a joint effort.”
