How the Indian OTT Content Actually Beats the Mainstream Bollywood?
OTT content has become a blessing during the lockdown period after the Covid-19 outbreak. You have to agree with the fact that web series in India was never been this big and widespread. Thanks to YouTube who paved the long-awaited path for digital content creation and creators around India.
Bollywood is the dominant of all regional big screen and digital content for the longest of time. People made the big screen something that is equivalent to achieving the dream for most artists. However, web contents like Scam 1992, Mirzapur, Kota Factory, The Family Man, Sacred Games have earned their spot to be the most beloved binge-worthy series.
TVF’s Anmol Ratans
The widespread digital content started back in 2014 with Permanent Roommates on the YouTube channel called TVF. It is also the first Indian Hindi web series that contains our everyday life instead of any traditional dramatic touch. Now, TVF is dominating the OTT platform market in India with the best Indian web contents like The Pitchers, Kota Factory, The Aspirants. Moreover, now they are dominating other prominent OTT platforms with their digital contents. Some examples are Panchayat and Hostel Daze on Amazon Prime, Gullak on SonyLIV and the most awaited Kota Factory Season 2 coming on Netflix.
Why is the digital content by TVF making mainstream Bollywood movies childish? We can all agree that Bollywood is still promoting their action movies with baseless plots and remix songs as a big-screen project. But, it is big-screen worthy? Lately, actors like Ayushmann Khurrana, Vicky Kaushal, Nawazuddin are changing the structure of mainstream hero in Bollywood. Still, the big-budget films are overshadowing good content from reaching a mass audience. On the contrary, TVF has always made feel good web content with real-life everyday stories that attract the young audience.
Scam vs Scam
It is good to see that now the Indian audience is choosing class over the mass. It happened after the release of Abhishek Bachchan’s The Big Bull on Disney+Hotstar amidst the pandemic situation as a big release. It is supposed to be based on the great stock market scammer Harshad Mehta. Just in the previous year, the notable director Hansal Mehta made the best possible Hindi series Scam 1992 with Pratik Gandhi in the lead based on the same plot. People have praised the screenplay, background score, amicable acting and cinematography in Hansal Mehta’s Scam 1992. Consequently, Bachchan’s adaption of Mehta’s story did not go well with the audiences’ expectation. The reason behind this is the overpowering Bollywood dramatic approach in The Big Bull. The fabricated storyline, over the top acting and unnecessary dramatic sequence, makes The Big Bull way behind Scam 1992.
While Hansal Mehta successfully shows the complexities and functioning of that era in Scam 1992, Kookie Gulati seems to have not researched enough on how things functioned in the 80s and 90s. — India Today
Netflix vs Prime vs Hotstar
The rave behind creating the most binge-worthy web content comes from the immense interest of the Indian audience towards the International series. FRIENDS, GOT, The Big Bang Theory, Breaking Bad are some of the famous series that won the hearts of the Indian audience. Furthermore, the Indian audience started preferring more realistic and raw cinematic content like Anurag Basu’s Gangs of Wassaypur. Consequently, it influenced the OTT platforms to generate similar web contents for their Indian audience.
The current digitalize era makes the OTT market of India have a 30% rise with 29 million subscribers on different OTT platforms at the end of 2020. The overpowering support from the Indian audience has made Netflix give Sacred Games, Amazon Prime to give Mirzapur and Hotstar to give Criminal Justice and Hostages. Many big screen artists like Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Saif Ali Khan, Ali Fazel, Sushmita Sen to find a new identity and exposure among a greater range of audience.
Bollywood is now stepping into the OTT platform by releasing its films amidst the pandemic situation. But big-budget films like Laxmi, Coolie No. 1, The Big Bull made horrible viewership from the respected OTT platforms. It makes the original web contents more viable and influential among the audience than the mainstream masala movies. Moreover, OTT platforms brought the best artistic selves like Rasika Dugal, Radhika Apte, Pankaj Tripathi, Kalki Koechlin, Vijay Varma, Vikrant Messy, and others.
It is understandable that OTT platforms give a wide range of opportunities to showcase ruthless frames without any censorship restriction. The same platform that discards the big-budget Bollywood movies have promoted gems like Is love enough, Sir?, Ram Prasad ki Tehrvi, A Death in a Gunj, The Disciple.
The Indian audience is now leaning for value-based contents with an implacable storyline and strong cinematography. Moreover, it encourages the Indian creative directors to expand their creative exposure with a limitless timeframe. The best example of this phrase is the detailing and critical differences between Scam 1992 and The Big Bull.
Now is the high time to recognize the worthy web content that provides both an intellectual and satisfying approach. It is far more acceptable than the unnecessary actions and baseless dance sequence mostly without any logic!
