Unbelievable: Stars’ Screen Time Deciding OTT Deals

It may sound unusual but fact is that OTT platforms are holding sway over film production these days because many filmmakers are moving ahead with their plans ponly after securing lucrative deals for digital rights so that they won’t burn their pockets due to poor theatrical run. 

Moreover, even the budgets of films are designed in such a way that the producer will be on the safer side with OTT rights irrespective of how the theatrical run turns out to be. Also, based on the OTT deals, the release dates are being fixed and also at the mercy of the digital partners who are enforcing several conditions before closing the deals. 

While the debate within film industry about the growing influence of OTT platforms in movie making continues, another shocking revelation came to light with popular Malayalam actor and producer Dulquer Salmaan’s latest statements during a recent roundtable conference. 

Talking about his recent blockbuster Lokah Chapter 1, Dulquer revealed that they initially struggled to find an OTT partner because of its unfamiliar cast and added that he then did a cameo alongside Tovino Thomas to draw the attention of digital platforms. He further elaborated that OTT players are even looking at the screen time of stars in movies and then deciding on the final price of the deal. 

He said Lokah Chapter 1 didn’t fetch desired price because digital partners are not willing to pay much because he and Tovino Thomas appeared for a brief time instead of full length roles. This statement from Dulquer came as a big shock to everyone who was sitting in the conversation along with him. 

The metrics of film production have completely changed now as OTT platforms are involving too much from deciding the release dates to taking part in script and story discussions to finalising deals based on the screen time of actors. This is not a healthy precedent going forward.