Arjun Kapoor opened up like never before in an interview he gave to the YouTube channel, Chalchitra Talks. The actor gave a long, detailed reply when asked what should be done to bring people back to cinemas.
Arjun Kapoor says 8-week streaming premiere is affecting theatrical business; suggests that films should arrive on OTT 3-4 months after theatrical release: “Imagine if Shah Rukh Khan’s King doesn’t arrive soon on OTT after releasing in theatres…”
Arjun Kapoor began by saying, “What Aamir Khan sir said is very, very important. We, as a country, like community experience; we really enjoy watching films and having a good time in theatres. Our culture is about being with people. But now, the expenditure of time, money and energy is so much. If you leave to watch a film, you’ll be worried about parking charges, traffic, high F&B rates, etc. You are also worried about the show timings and whether the film would be worth it. What was earlier a 3-hour experience has now become a 5-hour experience. In this 5-hour experience, if the 2 hours 30-minute-long film turns out to be average, you tend to get irritated. You would think, ‘Maine iss film ke liye 4 ghante waste kar diye. Yeh toh main ghar pe dekh sakta tha’.”
He added, “Since there is access at home, many might not feel inclined to make an effort to go to cinemas. In the process, you might not even give a good film any chance. For instance, Superboys Of Malegaon. Hence, there is a problem getting people to theatres because of practical issues.”
Arjun Kapoor appealed that the window between a theatrical release and an OTT release should be increased from 8 weeks to 3-4 months. He explained, “The window crunching has not been done by Hollywood; Indian cinema did it. Now, a film arrives on OTT in 8 weeks. Several Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu films arrive in 4 to 6 weeks. Earlier, films would premiere on satellite after 6 months. So, if you miss that particular movie in theatres, you would have no choice but to wait for 6 months. Also, you’d fear, ‘Jab TV pe film aayegi, toh usme toh ads hongi’. Also, rarely people used to buy DVDs. There was no culture of DVDs hired on rent for Hindi films as such. So, the best way to watch a film was in theatres. Now, the best way to watch a film for a lot of people is at home.”
He continued, “Chhaava collected Rs. 500 crores but in case you missed it in theatres, you can watch it at home. Even Superboys Of Malegaon will be out soon (on OTT). People will write about it and discuss why it didn’t work in cinemas!”
He suggested, “To bring people back to cinemas, we need to reduce the amount of access on platforms in a short space. If a film would arrive on streaming 3-4 months after theatrical release, there would be again a certain amount of curiosity to see it in theatres.”
Arjun remarked, “A lot of people are not aware that there’s an 8-week window. Many assume ki film agle mahine (OTT pe aa jaayegi). That’s because before a film starts, the Netflix logo always is displayed with the ‘Tudum’ sound!”
He noted, “I think YRF (Yash Raj Films) doesn’t put logos of streaming partners, and that’s amazing. They are using their strength to make sure that they amplify their film as a Yash Raj film and not something that will be available somewhere else much later.”
Arjun Kapoor further stated, “Imagine if there’s no logo of OTT in the film, then what? If Aamir Khan’s next releases without the mention of any OTT partner and you don’t know when it’ll arrive in your home, you might feel curious to watch it in cinemas. What if Shah Rukh Khan’s King doesn’t arrive soon on Netflix or Amazon (after releasing in theatres)? What if Sanjay Leela Bhansali decides to sell Love & War only after the film releases? You’d be like ‘Main ghar pe toh nahin dekh sakta. I’d want to go to the theatres to see it’.”
Arjun also said that this is not the only factor affecting footfalls in cinemas. He said, “There are other issues too. The quality has been inconsistent and at times, it’s not keeping up with the audience today. We are perhaps 4-5 years behind in terms of writing.”
Also Read: SHOCKING: Arjun Kapoor reveals Rahul Bhat snubbed him when Arjun messaged him to praise his Black Warrant performance: “He didn’t pick up my call. I messaged him, ‘Can I call you’. He replied, ‘For what?’”
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