A couple of days back, we had apprised our readers that owing to the ongoing pandemic situation, the multi-starrer horror-comedy film ‘Bhoot Police’ starring Saif Ali Khan, Arjun Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandes and Yami Gautam will reportedly release directly on the Disney+ Hotstar OTT platform.
While the official announcement by the streaming giant is still awaited, it is being reported that besides ‘Bhoot Police’, Priyadarshan’s directorial sequel ‘Hungama 2’, Kunal Deshmukh’s directorial romantic-drama ‘Shiddat’, Laxman Utekar’s directorial venture ‘Mimi’ and Raj Singh Chaudhary’s directorial road film titled ‘Shaadistan’ might soon be streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
Previously, the eminent streaming service had released several films on its platform following the pandemic-induced lockdown, that were otherwise slated for theatrical releases. Amongst these films was Late actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s ‘Dil Bechara’. The film had received mixed reviews from critics but they immensely praised the endearing performance of the gifted ‘Kai Po Che’ actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
Besides, the platform also released the comedy thriller film ‘Lootcase’ starring Kunal Khemu and Rasika Duggal in the lead roles. The film opened to overall positive reviews and was well received by the audiences and critics alike. A couple of weeks later, the Vidyut Jammwal starrer action flick ‘Khuda Haafiz’ also premiered on the platform.
Soon after, veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt’s highly anticipated sequel to his 1991 film ‘Sadak’ was released on the OTT platform. Although the film boasted an ensemble cast including Sanjay Dutt, Pooja Bhatt, Alia Bhatt, and Aditya Roy Kapoor, still it received mostly negative reviews from the critics. This was surprising, considering the immensely successful and well-executed parent film ‘Sadak’ that retained the same director and its original lead pair.
Subsequently, another highly anticipated and big-budget film ‘Laxmii’, featuring acclaimed actor Akshay Kumar alongside Kiara Advani and Sharad Kelkar, got its release on the streaming platform. Although the film reportedly broke viewership records of ‘Dil Bechara’ and ostensibly became the most-watched film on the platform, the film received mostly negative reviews from the critics and the audiences.
Thereafter, last month, the eagerly awaited film ‘The Big Bull’, which was based on the life of stockbroker Harshad Mehta with the immensely talented Abhishek Bachchan playing the titular role, was released on the OTT platform. Despite the powerhouse performer getting unanimous praise for his titular portrayal and a decent attempt by the makers, the film failed to unanimously impress some of the Indian critics and viewers. The inevitable comparisons with Hansal Mehta’s acclaimed television series ‘Scam 1992’ might also have probably affected the film’s response.
And the recently released film ‘Hum Bhi Akele Tum Bhi Akele’, featuring Anshuman Jha and Zareen Khan, generally failed to impress the viewers and critics alike, despite the lead performances being appreciated.
So, considering the somewhat mixed reception apparently from audiences and critics pertaining to Disney+ Hotstar’s previous slate of OTT film releases, it might be interesting to observe whether the streaming giant’s purported selection of its forthcoming OTT releases (yet to be confirmed) will yield rich dividends or not. It may actually depend on how well-made these films are, how well they are marketed, and also on the kind of response that will be generated by the viewers and critics after the films’ release.
However, we should not forget that the list of upcoming film releases on the Disney+ Hotstar streaming platform also includes the highly anticipated war-action film ‘Bhuj: The Pride of India’ starring Ajay Devgn, Sanjay Dutt, Sonakshi Sinha, and Sharad Kelkar, amongst others. And going by the film’s intriguing premise and ensemble cast, the film has the potential to drive substantial viewership for the reputed platform in the cut-throat OTT world.
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