We all have grown up watching Bollywood. For years it has been a source of entertainment, there is nothing like the larger-than-life experience. Post lockdown, the viewing habit has changed and people have got hooked to OTT, where the content also is more relatable, says Ashoka who has been a part of the short film titled CHARACTER and has also worked with Donal Bisht in the music video Badhi Hi Mushkil, shares his opinion
“Bollywood, of late, is lacking originality. Every film is a remake of another. About 70% of the films are remakes. They are taking stories from South, Bengal and even foreign countries. A new concept in Bollywood is rare these days. On OTT the content is unique and casting is done on the basis of talent and not star power. Good content is really important. Even if the star is known and the concept is not good the movie won’t work. There is not a single film which works only on the basis of the hero’s face these days. There is a lot of competition now,” he says.
Many are of the opinion Bollywood is going through a rough phase as footfall in theatres have gone down due to the popularity of OTT. The attitude is that it’s okay now to miss a film in theatres because very soon it will be available on a streaming platform.
“If the content is good, people will definitely go and watch the film in theatres. Obviously OTT is also an option for them to watch the film if they missed watching it in the theatre. I do believe that they are two different experiences and will co-exist,” he adds.
Industry pandits are blaming the content and lack of star value in films is affecting Bollywood’s popularity. There are others who have opined that social media has decreased the star value. Even Ashoka agrees that “the value of stars has become less”, as now the story is considered the real hero.
It’s been noticed that in the last six months only Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, Kashmir Files, and Gangubai have been able to impress the audience. But big budget films like Prithviraj Chauhan, Heropanti, Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui, among others bombed at the box office.
Ask Ashoka if he thinks Bollywood has finally moved away from stardom and he says, “If we talk about Kashmir files, Gangubai, the stories are good, so people will definitely rush to the theatre because they want to watch such films in theatres. Films like Jersey flopped and I think the reason was not a good concept. Obviously, we are going to spend money on that particular film to watch. So before going in we will think carefully
