Recently, Amazon Prime Video and Disney Plus Hotstar shook up the entertainment world with their respective announcements of big ticket releases on their platforms — movies skipping theatres and heading straight to OTT.
Amazon Prime Video made the first move, back in May, when it announced the slate of movies that would directly release on its streaming platform. They were —
Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana starrer Gulabo Sitabo, Vidya Balan’s biopic movie Shakuntala Devi, and regional movies, Penguin, Law, Ponmagal Vandhal, French Biryani and Sufiyam Sujayatham. Out of these, Law, French Biryani and Shakuntala Devi are yet to release. Law releases tomorrow, 17th July, French Biryani releases on 24th July, and Shakuntala Devi is set for a 31st July release.
Disney Plus Hotstar grabbed streaming rights for direct to digital movie releases of Dil Bechara, Lootcase, Laxmmi Bomb, The Big Bull, Khuda Haafiz, Bhuj and Sadak 2, which will release gradually in the coming months.
All this while, there wasn’t much noise from the biggest of them all — Netflix. While Amazon Prime Video and Disney Plus Hotstar stole all the limelight, Netflix quietly waited in the shadows, biding its time. The time, it seems, has arrived.
This morning, Netflix triggered a mini explosion of sorts when it announced a massive slate of 17 titles, to release in the coming months. The 17 titles include Netflix Original shows and movies like AK Vs AK, Serious Men, Bombay Begums; acquired shows such as A Suitable Boy, Mismatched; and direct to digital movie releases – it has nabbed six in its kitty – Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, Torbaaz, Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitaare, Raat Akeli Hai, Ludo and Ginny Weds Sunny.
Which brings us to the all important question – which platform grabbed the best movies? To get a balanced answer, we’ll have to get down to the nitty-gritty of it. So let’s go!
Amazon Prime Video has already released four of its titles, with three more to release this month. Of these, Gulabo Sitabo, its biggest catch, was a mixed bag — a rambling, stumbling winding tale, funny in parts, stretched in others, partly engaging, partly tedious. Penguin was an out and out dud. Very few gave it positive reviews. Ponmagal Vandhal attracted a lot attention, but was a major disappointment. Sufiyum Sujatayum was the only one that was appreciated somewhat.
Of the remaining three, Law hasn’t generated much buzz. French Biryani looks promising, as does Shakuntala Devi. But only somewhat – not earth-shatteringly so.
Next comes Disney Plus Hotstar’s acquisitions. Now, these are the stuff OTT dreams are made of. Except for Sadak 2, all the movies that have opted for direct to digital release on Disney Plus Hotstar are exciting propositions. Laxmmi Bomb had massive buzz since the time it was announced. That it landed at Disney Plus Hotstar is a notable achievement for the platform. Bhuj: The Pride of India is another huge snare for the platform. The Ajay Devgn – Sanjay Dutt starrer has a larger-than-life, patriotic tale at its core – always a winner with Indian audiences. It is a certain hit for the platform. The Big Bull, starring Abhishek Bachchan as Harshad Mehta, also has a lot of buzz before release.
Lootcase is a hilarious comedy caper, with a superb ensemble cast of Kunal Kemmu, Rasika Dugal, Vijay Raaz, Ranvir Shorey and Gajraj Rao. The cast gives it a lot of heft in the attraction department. Its trailer dropped today, and the movie looks like a sure shot winner. Khuda Haafiz is a romantic action thriller, with hunky Vidyut Jammwal as the lead. That, and the prospect of watching him perform stunning stunts, alone is reason enough to look forward to the movie.
Which brings us to Disney Plus Hotstar’s special film – Dil Bechara. The romantic drama is special because it is the last film to feature beloved departed star Sushant Singh Rajput. Everyone, almost everyone, will tune in to watch the film. It releases on 24th July. To top it all, Disney Plus Hotstar has made it free to watch as homage to Sushant Singh Rajput. It is a win for the platform that the movie is releasing on it.
Lastly, the movies grabbed by Netflix. Ludo is the shining star among these. It features a fantastic ensemble of actors – Abhishek Bachchan, Rajkummar Rao, Aditya Roy Kapur, Fatima Sana Sheikh and Sanya Malhotra. Directed by Anurag Basu, and cast in the anthology mould of his earlier Life In A Metro, Ludo is a great catch for Netflix.
War drama Gunjan Saxena, starring Jahnvi Kapoor, has a good buzz and should attract decent viewership. Same with Torbaaz, starring Sanjay Dutt, Nargis Fakrih and Rahul Dev. It is a gutsy take on the practice of child suicide bombers in Afghanistan.
Barring these three, none of the other Netflix direct to digital movie acquisitions seem attractive enough to be a must watch. Bhoomi Pednekar and Konkona Sen Sharma’s Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitaare; Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Radhika Apte’s Raat Akeli Hai; and Vikrant Massey and Yami Gautam’s romcom Ginny Weds Sunny, all three seem strictly OK movies.
So then, what’s the verdict? Which platform has grabbed the best movies?
We would say, Disney Plus Hotstar is the clear winner among these three streaming giants, as far as direct to digital movie releases go. It beats Amazon Prime Video and Netflix hollow with its enticing slate of movies – all of them are exciting enough to draw viewers in droves.
That is just our view. What is yours? Tell us in the comments below.
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