I’m confident that theatres will fight for their existence, and win: Anand L Rai

The filmmaker says movie theatres aren’t going to ‘face any kind of existential crisis, or hit a dead-end’; adds all kinds of platforms will eventually start to co-exist

Movie theatres have been shut for nearly four months now due to the Covid-19 pandemic. And even as an increasing of Bollywood filmmakers move towards OTT platforms for their films’ release, talks have been rife about the future of cinema halls in the age of digital streaming. Filmmaker Aanand L Rai, however, isn’t worried, saying cinemas “aren’t going anywhere”.

Filmmaker Aanand L Rai’s next titled Atrangi Re will feature Akshay Kumar, Sara Ali Khan and Dhanush. (PHOTO: MANOJ VERMA/HINDUSTAN TIMES)

“I don’t think theatres will face any kind of existential crisis, or hit a dead-end, especially in a country like ours. I’m confident that they will fight for their existence — like a lot of other industries — and come out victorious. For us, cinema means entertainment and a community viewing experience, and that’s not going anywhere,” says Rai.

The Tanu Weds Manu director strongly believes that big screen is always going to have a huge fan following. He says: “There are still a number of people, who are craving for the big screen experience. Also, regardless of the platform, there are certain films, which are meant to be watched only in a cinema hall. As an audience member, for example, I would love to catch up on ‘83 at a theatre. And my question is: why can’t both (theatres and OTT) co-exist in the long run?, and I guess eventually, they have to “ he says.

The filmmaker, who has Akshay Kumar-Sara Ali Khan starrer Atrangi Re, also featuring Dhanush as his next, feels the OTT culture has brought in a “fantastic” change. “For me, the best thing about OTTs has been the kind of excellent quality, top-class content they have brought along, and all of it has reached to every nook and corner of India, which never happened before,” he says.

According to Rai, no storyteller will ever rue the fact that there is another platform now. “As a storyteller, I love the fact that now, we have another platform to bring our stories alive on, and if I get the correct story, I will also make content for OTT platforms,” he concludes.