Kiran Rao says Indian OTT has seen 'a bubble burst': There was a golden age, but I am not sure where it goes from here

Kiran Rao spoke about the OTT scene in India at a recent event, where she also talked about if she is entering the medium.

Filmmaker Kiran Rao has shared her blunt assessment of the streaming scene in India, saying that there was a 'golden age' for Indian OTT but she is unsure of where it will go from here on. The director also shared if she is dabbling in series direction for OTT. (

Kiran Rao at the Indian Screenwriters Conference in Mumbai on Saturday.

Kiran Rao on OTT scene in India

Speaking at the 7th edition of the Indian Screenwriters Conference (ISC) hosted by the Screenwriters Association of India (SWA) on Friday, the Laapataa Ladies director said that as of today, there was hardly any difference between the content on OTT and what worked in films. "Now, more and more you see the kind of things that are so-called 'working' or big on OTT in India are usually stuff which isn't vastly different from what we would see in films. So, the promise of world-building and doing other stuff may not have been (fulfilled). That's also because I think there has been a bit of a bubble burst," she said.

Kiran said that when OTT began in India under a decade ago, people were very free and creative but over time, other aspects have dominated that. She explained, "OTT was this golden egg; everyone could do everything that they dreamt of and it had to come full circle. There is a lot of promise there, a lot of stories to be told, I just don't know how many people are commissioning them and the economics allows one to do. Like everything, there was a golden age, but I am not sure where it goes from here. We still have some great writing on OTT in India, but there is a lot more to be done."

The filmmaker was in conversation with moderator-writer Mitesh Shah, known for penning Tumbbad for a masterclass session at the event. When asked if she plans to start a project for streaming, Rao, said, "Nothing has been greenlit yet. I have a couple of series ideas, including a mini-series, but I don't know where to go with what I am doing. I keep feeling like I want to take the ideas that I wrote for my series and make them into films!"

Kiran Rao's career

Kiran Rao started her career as an assistant director to Ashutosh Gowariker in Lagaan. After assisting him on Swades and Mira Nair on Monsoon Wedding, Kiran made her directorial debut with Dhobi Ghat in 2011. She then turned producer with films such as Talaash, Dangal, and Laal Singh Chaddha, before returning to direction in 2024 with Laapataa Ladies.