Veteran actress and filmmaker Renuka Shahane has voiced her concerns about the shifting dynamics of the Indian film industry, particularly the growing preference for OTT platforms over theatrical experiences.
Reflecting on the current state of cinema, she highlighted how changing audience habits are affecting the fate of content-driven films, leaving many filmmakers and producers in a tough spot. Speaking to IANS, Shahane acknowledged that the landscape has changed drastically for filmmakers, producers, distributors, and theatre owners alike.
Highlighting the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the ‘Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!’ actress noted how the compulsory halt in film production and the closure of cinema halls pushed audiences toward OTT platforms. Drawing comparisons with the pre-pandemic era, Renuka Shahane pointed out that before Covid, audiences were more willing to support a wide range of narratives — not just large-scale entertainers.
“Actually, it’s a very scary situation for filmmakers and producers especially, even for distributors, theatre owners. The situation in Covid, of course, it was a compulsion. All of us had to just stop work. So, for two years, we were watching content only on OTT platforms. That’s how they became so popular all over our country. But, you know, before that, I feel where our industry was concerned, Hindi film industry, I’ll talk about, I’m not very well versed with any other industry, but whether it was Marathi or whether it was a Hindi film industry, a lot of narratives, which were not necessarily mass entertainers, were doing very well before the advent of Covid,” the actress explained.
However, Renuka expressed concern that the audience’s mindset has changed post-Covid. With many viewers now preferring to wait for films to release on streaming platforms, theatre footfall has taken a hit — especially for mid-budget or content-driven films. “Only larger-than-life subjects are now kind of seen by people in theatres,” she said, adding that even OTT platforms are hesitant to pick up films unless they have had a theatrical release.
Renuka Shahane expressed, “A lot of families who used to regularly buy tickets and go to theatres are now waiting for films to come on OTT. Therefore, only larger-than-life subjects are being watched in theatres. For the rest, it’s a very dicey situation because OTT platforms are not picking up films unless they are released theatrically.” Ap7am