OTT has finally arrived, driven by the pandemic induced lockdown and social-distancing

Before the pandemic played statue with our lives and forced us to press the pause button forever, movies to the masses meant halls, malls, family, friends, dates – a joyous event to be collectively savoured. Netflix and other digital platforms was stuff they had little knowledgeable and lesser interest in. They viewed it as elitist time-pass or the domain of grim, serious, kill-joy intellectuals who loftily perceived movies as Cinema that portrayed truth at 24 times a second! The aam junta were perfectly happy with their masala, adored their favourite stars and had no interest in ever experimenting with this – to echo the Big B’s favourite word in KBC – adbhut space!

At another level, they were very clear about the divide between TV and the big screen. The Box translated to serials, news, sports and re-runs of old movies. It was free and comfort food for the eyes that was addictive. The Big screen was a different scene. Glamorous stars powering maddeningly seductive content comprising mesmeric locations, hypnotic romance, song dance sequences, action and drama all presented in mind-bending scope and scale. Both had their respective slots in our lives. Home entertainment of the gharelu kind was TV. Glam and excitement was the big screen movies! In short, TV was Radhika Apte. Movies was Katrina Kaif!

However, experiencing the longest interval of their lives, the movie-junkies were really down in the dumps. Starved with a huge hole in their time and money allocated to movies, many of them were forced to turn their gaze towards OTT. Over time, a slow but sure change of heart did happen, whether through curiosity, pressure from new converts or boredom. Quipped a convert “Frankly I got into this zone with solid scepticism but soon discovered that it wasn’t so bad, after all. There were a lot of films that charmed me and I realised that it makes sense to try out everything in life, at least once. My Bollywood craze is intact but this digital OTT stuff is super parallel cinema, engaging and enriching, even if not as entertaining as my staple diet!”

A rising chorus joined in and soon OTT found new audiences. Media too woke up to give these films, their directors and actors more (serious) attention and coverage with articles, interviews, etc. and over time, the gifted architects of this neglected space found their material the recipient of long overdue applause. Yes, a paradigm shift has happened.

At a deeper and subliminal level, the pandemic too played its part in this reality check. For the common man, it has virtually changed everything – how we live, work, interact with people, eat, cook, spend leisure time, health issues. There is reflection and introspection, a permanent reset of some fundamentals of behaviour. A revisit, remembrance and revival of values once cherished and followed; an opportunity to regain our love and confidence in old-fashioned, simple, ordinary living. This seems to have impacted out choice of entertainment too, with the focus moving away from loud, escapist fare, hollow dramabaazi and armpit rhetoric to content that inspires, not shamelessly caters or panders; that invites contemplation, not greedy consumption debasing films to popcorn for the eyes.

While it would be naive and foolish to imagine or conclude that the Pandemic-OTT combine has worked as a catalyst or great leveller in settling scores, it has certainly helped in re-affirming the maxim: Truth strengthens. Pleasure consumes. Everything considered – with Salman’s much-touted theatrical and digital Eid release, Radhe registering an all time low B.O. – this indeed is a freeze-frame moment for OTT. David may not vanquish Goliath, but to go eyeball-to-eyeball, is a huge thing, a symbolic sign of change, even a metaphor for meaningful, topical and re-think.

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