Netflix India’s upcoming original film ‘Jewel Thief’ promises high-octane action, melodramatic twists, vibrant song an dance sequences, backed by a star-studded cast. All these are the quintessential elements of Bollywood masala flick made for the big screen but this one is instead headed for a direct-to-digital release on an OTT platform.
Obviously there’s no doubt about its entertainment value but there’s one persistent question that just cannot be ignored. Does the presence of such theatrical, formulaic films on OTT platforms dilute the medium’s original promise of delivering bold, experimental, and creative storytelling?
When OTTs first rose to prominence they came as a revolutionary force in the entertainment sector and served as safe haven for storytellers where they could free themselves from the constraints of theatrical releases. There was no box office pressure, censorship boards, and the need to cater to mass audiences.
It became a thriving ground for nuanced dramas, gritty thrillers, and unconventional narratives. Shows like ‘Scared Game’, ‘Mirzapur’, ‘Paatal Lok’, ‘The Family Man’, and more had that rawness we rarely see in mainstream Hindi cinema. These stories felt fresh, risky, and unapologetically creative thereby fulfilling the OTT’s promise of prioritizing substance over spectacle.
But with ‘Jewel Thief’ we can witness that standard Bollywood formula that used to work amazingly in theatres about a decade ago making it’s way to OTT. There’s a charismatic hero, a glamorous heroine, a villain with a larger-than-life persona, and a plot that touts to have twists and turns. Does this mean OTTs are adapting a more democratic approach in their content and shifting away from experimental stuff?
One might say otherwise suggesting that OTTs aren’t just for niche audiences seeking avant-garde cinema, they’re for everyone, including the masses who just love to enjoy masala movies once in a while to escape from the routine. Infact OTTs too attempt to be as inclusive as possible and offer something for everyone thereby attracting more and more subscribers and the resultant profit could eventually help fund riskier, less commercial projects. That means it could very well be a strategic move by the streaming platforms to serve as an enabler of experimentation rather than its anti.
But this might be too optimistic a viewpoint to see this and we don’t want OTTs to turn into an extended arm of traditional film industry. And we definitely don’t want entertainment to take over substance or predictable narratives over innovative storytelling for that matter. Because that would mean streaming services sidelining the very projects that made them unique. Stories that challenge norms, explore untapped genres, or give voice to underrepresented perspectives would find no place in such a scenario and that would be pretty unfortunate.
Now this isn’t unique to just India and global streamer have been often criticised to prioritise crowd-pleasing, formulaic content over critically acclaimed ones. But India is different when it comes to scale and context. Here, Bollywood’s cultural and commercial influence is so overwhelming that its influence can easily overshadow smaller, experimental narratives.
Moreover, the platform’s algorithm, which often promotes popular content over niche gems, exacerbates this issue, making it harder for unconventional stories to find their audience.
And therefore what’s needed is a balance. OTTs need to understand the fact that they have a dual role to play: one, as purveyors of mass entertainment and two, as champions of creative risk-taking. That means platforms must ensure that both sorts of content coexist, rather than crowd out the bold, experimental content that made them unique and attractive in the first place.