Jio Cinema rebranded and relaunched itself in June 2023 with the OTT release of hyped and buzzy Shahid Kapoor film ‘Bloody Daddy’. The film was directed by Ali Abbas Zafar — of Sultan and Tiger Zinda Hai fame.
Of course, Jio Cinema had already made a splash of sorts before Bloody Daddy’s OTT premiere. One, by grabbing HBO content from under Disney Plus Hotstar’s nose; and two, by streaming the big ticket IPL 2023 for free in May 2023. The cricket extravaganza drew audiences in massive numbers.
OTT viewers obviously sat up and took notice of Jio Cinema – the new biggie on the block. Reliance’s Jio Cinema had well and truly sounded the bugle of competition for prevailing Indian OTT leaders – Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus Hotstar, ZEE5 and SonyLIV.
Audiences expected fireworks from Jio Cinema – owned as it was by the deep-pocketed Mr. MoneyBags, aka Mukesh Ambani. We expected more big movies and shows from Jio Cinema after Bloody Daddy’s release. The platform too had promised to release one new original film every Friday. OTT viewers were expectedly delighted.
Soon, though, the glitzy, glittery veil lifted — and Jio Cinema showed itself in all its seedy, shabby glory. Not to say, sleazy too. We realised Jio Cinema was all sound and fury, signifying nothing.
Save for a few exceptions like Taali and Kaalkoot, Jio Cinema has only been streaming movies and series that can rightly be called C-grade content. All its original shows are downright mediocre, while its movies aren’t worth watching even a few minutes of.
Not just mediocre C-grade content, Jio Cinema has also busied itself with streaming sleazy stuff. While its rivals are producing glittering gems like Kohrra, Jubilee and The Night Manager, Jio Cinema has gotten itself neck deep in creating seedy shows like Temptation Island, Bigg Boss, multiple seasons of Fuh Se Fantasy, and the like. Ewww!
The original movies slate on Jio Cinema is a joke by itself. The streamer has premiered weird AF movies like Sergeant, Aseq, Trial Period, and what not – which anyone with the most basic taste in movies wouldn’t touch with even a barge pole – despite streaming totally free of cost!
Now on to licensed films. Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus Hotstar, Sony LIV, ZEE5 keep premiering biggies like Jawan, Leo, Kannur Squad, Hi Nanna, 12th Fail, Gadar 2, Toby, and so many more outstanding movies. Jio Cinema’s licensed movie acquisitions include only two movies that viewers are eager to watch, and whose streaming rights are with Jio Cinema — ‘Zara Hatke Zara Bachke’ and the Marathi hit, ‘Baipan Bhari Deva’. But for some stupid reason, Jio Cinema has been sitting tight on both movies for almost eight months now – with no sign of release yet, for crying out loud!
If it weren’t for Jio Cinema’s foreign content, including content from HBO, Max, Paramount Pictures, etc., Jio Cinema would have been booted out long ago. And guess what – the streamer can’t even get that part right – the streaming quality is atrocious; the app is super-buggy; and the worst — all premium content on Jio Cinema is loaded with ads!
What Jio Cinema wants to achieve by showcasing only C-grade content on its platform, only the head honchos at Jio Cinema know. Let’s hope they get their house in order, before they manage to burn it to the ground with their stupidity!
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