‘Panchayat’ on Amazon Prime Video had that rare fresh feeling to it that is seemingly found lacking in all those series getting rave reviews recently. All the major platforms are engaged in the rat race of producing content on crime, thriller, horror or erotica genres completely neglecting comedy, drama or romance in the process.
Going by the trend of successful Indian shows and movies on all the platforms whether it’s Netflix (‘Sacred Games’, ‘Delhi Crimes’, ‘Betaal’, ‘Bulbbul’), Amazon Prime Video (‘Mirzapur’, ‘Paatal Lok’, ‘The Family Man’, ‘Breathe’), Disney+Hotstar (‘Aarya’, ‘Criminal Justice’, ‘Special Ops’, ‘Hostages’), Voot (‘Asur’), SonyLIV (‘Your Honor’, ‘Undekhi’) or Zee5 (‘Mafia’, ‘Lal Bazaar’, ‘Unlock’), the common theme is either crime, thriller or horror overlapped with some social, political or cultural aspects.
The focus has shifted to intensity, action, mystery, edge of the seat experience with the audience showing interest in it, more so in the Indian context. Though this does not seem to be the trend when it comes to international content where a wider variety of genres are making it to the platforms.
The gripping formula used in crime, thriller, horror and erotica genre is what makes the viewers to watch them in one go. Human psychology to find closure keeps them hooked on to such series or movies. And this is where the platforms along with filmmakers seem to take advantage. After all the ultimate goal of these OTT platforms is to make the viewers spend as much time on their platform as possible.
Amidst all this, content like ‘Chaman Bahaar‘, ‘Panchayat’, ‘Little Things’, ‘Selection Days’, ‘Made In Heaven’, ‘Four More Shots Please‘ and many more across platforms are a rare sight to behold. The freshness, liveliness and feel good experience provided by such content is much needed in trying times like these.
With drama, romance and comedy not getting their fair share, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that these major OTT platforms are trying to play it safe in the Indian market. This isn’t a generalised theory but a very conspicuous observation.
We’re hiring!
We are hiring two full-time junior to mid-level writers with the option to work remotely. You need to work a 5-hour shift and be available to write. Interested candidates should email their sample articles to [email protected]. Applications without a sample article will not be considered.