For the past 24 to 48 hours, there have been multiple reports saying that Shahid Kapoor has signed a multi-project deal worth Rupees 100 crore. According to these reports, the ‘Udta Punjab’ actor has agreed to this deal after the recent boom of OTTs during this corona pandemic. But neither the camps of Netflix nor Shahid Kapoor has confirmed these rumors.
There has been no film or web-series linked with the actor by the streaming service (besides faint rumors), and one “well-informed source” has said that no one from Netflix has said come forward about this supposed deal. According to the same source, Shahid Kapoor hasn’t reached the caliber of Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan or Akshay Kumar and since even they haven’t been offered such a deal, chances are this one is a hoax.
Streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney+Hotstar are also trying to move away from the big-star format typically found in Bollywood films, so making such a deal with Shahid Kapoor makes no sense either. Netflix has always maintained that the star of their projects are usually their script-writers and directors. But there has been no denial from both sides either.
Bollywood films will take some time to move on from the mega-star concept (especially on digital platforms), so first integrating it into their work style while simultaneously releasing good Hindi projects is a good place to start for Netflix. This will help them grab the attention of the avid movie-going audience while still providing quality content for their current subscribers. Or this might also signify that Netflix India is ready to splash money around and grabbing Shahid Kapoor will signify their intent on nabbing other stars as well and get them to join up with the OTT giant.
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.
