A global audience, no box office pressure, draw directors to OTT

A format that allows creative freedom in storytelling, popularity of shows across languages, and a wide reach make streaming platforms popular with filmmakers

The digital space is not just a big draw for actors, writers and technicians to showcase their talent and get the opportunities missed or not available to them in films, but also has been attracting a number of acclaimed and hit film directors.

Ali Abbas Zaffar directed the multistarrer, Taandav.

Kabir Khan directed The Forgotten Army

Last year, we saw Kabir Khan’s directorial Forgotten Army, Neeraj Pandey’s debut with Special Ops, Raj & DK’s outing Family Man, Ali Abbas Zafar’s directed Tandav while Hansal Mehta’s debut with Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story.

Trade Analyst, Komal Nahata says, “On OTT, the content is the star. Streaming brought a huge change that content takes precedence over star names which is unlike in the movies. Acclaimed directors are interested in OTT as they enjoy the long format alongwith huge budgets. Moreover, there’s no tension of opening day figures and box-office performance. In fact, a number of top names from Bollywood have invaded OTT with stories which can’t be narrated in two-and-a-half hours.

This year, things are gaining momentum as season 2 of Family Man will arrive soon, while Raj & DK are working on another series with Shahid Kapoor, Pandey is working on season 2 of Special Ops, and Vipul Shah’s will debut on OTT with a medical drama Human.

Shefali Shah and Ram Kapoor in Vipul Shah’s upcoming show, Human.

According to Shah, OTT platforms enable them and given them freedom to explore, create and present to the audience. “This entire process is very liberating as a filmmaker,” he says, adding, “The OTT content viewing has transformed the perspective of the audience as well as the filmmakers. We are now able to enjoy the story, breaking away from the conventional forms of storytelling. Pablo Escobar was the central character of Narcos. OTT has changed that there is no hero or villain, heroine or hero— it is about the character and predominantly, its stories.” He is glad that it is a huge leap for audiences because now, they are not stuck to any format. “From the length, characters, genre— on OTT platforms, one show can be completely different from the other. I believe, this is the beauty of OTT platforms,” states Shah.

Minimum risk, better pace of storytelling and their passion to entertain audiences, is what drives directors to OTT, feels Anees Bazmee. “There is a certain appeal of OTT which helps their passion. Due to the unfortunate pandemic, it will take a while for the audience to return to theatres, so these creative minds want to entertain the audience in any way might be the appeal. Moreover, with the growth in the digital space, there are a number of new talents coming in and growth in jobs in every aspect of film making has been tremendous too, so, I appreciate the fact that big names getting into the OTT is helping the industry. The producers too are comfortable and opting for OTT content as the risk is minimum,” he says.

Neeraj Pandey directed Special Ops.

Directors are exploring the medium as not only do they want to tell extensive stories in different genres and even languages but also reach out to a global audience. Pandey admits that for him, the format is not predominant, the story dictates the format. “I think of myself primarily as a storyteller. Once you believe that, it determines how you tell a story. If there is a story that needs to be told, I am comfortable telling it in wherever medium is best suited. I have made stories for the big screen and since 2019, have been focussing on developing stories for streaming platforms. We have been leaning towards newer things and newer ways of presenting their content. Whether we succeed or fail is immaterial, but we want to keep on pushing the envelope and I hope that this does not stop at any juncture of our journey,” he shares.