Prime Video original series ‘Tandav’ may or may not have got the viewing numbers it aimed for, when it premiered back in January 2021 on Prime. What it did get, however, is much more far-reaching in terms of its impact on the Indian streaming space. ‘Tandav’ has got the biggies of the Indian streaming space all jittery, nervous, and yes, terrified. This specially holds true for the top 5 streaming platforms in India today – Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus Hotstar, ZEE5 and SonyLIV.
The latest controversy that lends proof to the above contention is Dibakar Banerjee’s explosive interview to influential Hollywood publication Deadline, where he has clearly alleged that the unsavoury events surrounding Tandav have led to Netflix canceling the release of his ready-to-release film ‘Tees’.
To shake up your memories, certain scenes in ‘Tandav’ had got in the hair of netizens and religious groups in the country. The offended parties had called for a ban on the show, the boycotting of Prime Video, and even filed FIRs in various police stations across the country against Tandav maker Ali Abbas Zafar, Prime Video’s Aparna Purohit, and several others.
‘Tandav’ is out of sight and out of mind for digital viewers, but its repercussions are not out of the psyche of Indian OTT platforms yet. The ghost of the disturbing events related to the series still haunts OTT biggies in India — and more significantly, influences their streaming decisions.
Much like Dibakar Banerjee yesterday, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has also vented out on the controversial topic recently. He declared to an Indian media publication that Netflix has gone back on its commitment towards Kashyap’s adaptation of ‘Maximum City’, Suketu Mehta’s non-fiction treatise on Bombay. The series is now a no-go at Netflix, with no reason given. As per Anurag Kashyap, the ‘Tandav’ controversy is the reason for Netflix developing cold feet on Maximum City. He went as far as to say that Netflix even cancelled his Sacred Games Season 3 for the same reason. Prime Video too joined in the cancel party, by canceling Paatal Lok Season 2.
Dibakar Banerjee, who’s made films like Khosla Ka Ghosla, Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, among others, has shared that ‘Tees’ is his best film to date, but it’s a shame that Netflix subscribers will not be able to watch it now. The filmmaker has been forced to shop his film to other streaming platforms and distributors, both Indian and international.
In recent times, there’s been hush-hush talk of streaming platforms unwilling to green-light any Indian Original movie or series that might ruffle the feathers of the new breed of self-appointed keepers of Indian culture. Platforms are increasingly unwilling to invite the wrath of keyboard warriors and trolls – both of which take offense to the minutest of things they come across in our OTT shows and movies, and then create havoc on social media. It happened with Tandav, The Family Man 2, Gandii Baat, Bombay Begums, Paatal Lok, Sacred Games 2, and so many more.
Yet, though the trolling, boycott calls and editing out of scenes has been going on since the time of the initial days of Netflix — remember Sacred Games, Leila and Ghoul? — it is really Prime Video’s ‘Tandav’ that ultimately broke the camel’s back.
Even SonyLIV has put the digital premiere of the acclaimed film ‘Nasir’ on the back-burner. It doesn’t take a genius to work out the reason behind SonyLIV not going ahead with the premiere of Nasir, a film that centres on a day in the life of a Muslim sari salesman in Coimbatore.
Dibakar Banerjee completed ‘Tees’ early on, and delivered it to Netflix in May 2022. After months of no word on it, Netflix recently communicated to him that it is not going ahead with streaming the film on its platform, citing the current “political climate” in the country.
‘Tees’ is a multi-generational story, centred on three generations of a middle-class Muslim family. The first section shines a light on the unrest in Kashmir in 1990; the second section is set in present day Mumbai, where the daughter of the family finds it difficult to buy an apartment due to her religion; and the third section follows her son in a dystopian future, who finds it difficult to get his novel published.
The film stars Naseeruddin Shah, Kalki Koechlin, Manisha Koirala, Divya Dutta, Huma Qureshi, Zoya Husain, Shashank Arora and Neeraj Kabi.
Whatever be the reason for the current behavior of streaming platforms, the fact is that the Indian entertainment industry is missing out on the unbridled joy of free-flowing creative expression and compelling stories being told; and we, the audience, are the ultimate loser in the mess.
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