E-Paper
A much-needed change
Chaitanya Tamhane’s next “The Disciple” is set to release on Netflix sometime this year
Chaitanya Tamhane’s next “The Disciple” is set to release on Netflix sometime this year. This is a bit of good news because it means that cinema-lovers will be able to watch the next film by the maker of the much coveted “The Court”. Not just that, even before its release, “The Disciple” has already made waves at the prestigious Venice Film Festival, winning awards for best screenplay and also the FIPRESCI, which is the award for best film selected by the International Federation of Film Critics. The last Indian film to win it at the Venice Film Festival was in 1990 for “Mathilukal” by Adoor Gopalakrishnan. So, the film being picked up by the popular streaming platform comes as no surprise.
When the pandemic started (it seems that no conversation can take place without talking about this event!) there was a shift by the audience of their time and attention, and money of course, to OTT (over-the-top) platforms. There was no other choice and they had to make do with whatever was available. The various platforms too jumped at this opportunity and the subscribers increased manifold. It was exciting for the audiences too, to watch new films on their personal devices, at their leisure, without shelling money for tickets.
While this was all hunky dory, one thing that almost everyone noticed was that no films made in vernacular languages were picked up by these platforms. Especially, Marathi, Gujarati and Bengali films. In fact, they weren’t interested in even watching the films. I realise now that I had accepted this fact really quickly at that time. I have always believed that it is a business and like every business it works on demand and supply. I think this acceptance might have its roots in the quality of content on television and its consistency over the years. I have not been able to relate to it, either fiction or non-fiction, but have seen many others do. So, the rationalist in me had made peace with this simple economic fact.
It is no secret that Marathi films don’t do well business-wise. They are front runners when it comes to critical acclaim and awards, but they don’t enjoy audiences as much as they should. Chaitanya’s previous film too was no exception. There are multiple reasons for this and I don’t want to delve into that topic right now. God knows every person working in this industry talks about it all the time!
Since I had a lot of time during the lockdown, I began thinking about a fundamental question – don’t I call myself an “artist”? Or am I just a businessman? So shouldn’t “art” be important as well in making such decisions? And don’t the best of art pieces appeal to our irrational, emotional side? Don’t they provoke us in some way or the other? And very honestly, I do think that even the OTT platforms have been taken for a ride. None of the Hindi films that have been released directly on these platforms would have done well had they released in the theatres! None of them. And the film-makers have held on to those films knowing very well that they will do well in the theatres.
So, it feels great to know that the world distribution rights of a Marathi film have been picked up by a platform. Of course, while we celebrate the fact that it is a film in Marathi, we cannot overlook the fact that it is made by a film- maker whose work is internationally recognised and that one of the executive producers of the film is none other than Alfonso Cuarón, the Mexican who dons many hats — film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, and editor.
But I think it is time that the people running these platforms start looking beyond numbers. Because even Charlie Chaplin had said - “I don’t believe that the public knows what it wants; this is the conclusion that I have drawn from my career”. Having said that, I look forward to watching “The Disciple” soon and hope it brings about a much-needed change.
