It’s not every day that you see a film in India take such a strange step in the world of OTT. John Abraham’s action thriller Tehran has already been streaming on Zee5 for a bit now. Most films, after releasing on one platform, don’t usually move to another so quickly. But now the makers have decided to bring Tehran to Netflix as well starting from 26th of August.
This is quite unusual. The last time something similar happened was with 83, which was released simultaneously on the then Disney+ Hotstar (Now JioHotstar) and Netflix India. That too was treated as a rare exception. This is a risky move. The reason is simple, by the time it comes to Netflix, a large section of the audience has already watched it on Zee5. The initial excitement, curiosity, and buzz are gone.
For Netflix, which is known for creating hype around its big launches, this might turn into a dull moment. If people are not rushing to watch Tehran again, the film could face a lukewarm response. That, in turn, might not something that the audience would want, as streaming numbers often play a role in how a film is remembered after its theatrical run.
Maybe the makers are hoping that Netflix’s wider global reach will give Tehran a second life and attract a fresh set of viewers. But whether this gamble works or not remains to be seen. For now, one thing is clear, this is a rare and risky experiment, especially when it comes to Bollywood and OTT space, and it could either stretch the film’s presence or quietly sink without much noise.