For the last four or five years, whenever Indian audiences haven’t wanted to watch a film in theatres, they’ve simply waited for it to arrive on OTT. After all, why waste hard-earned money on mediocre projects or films, right? But according to Taapsee Pannu, that safety net is about to snap.
In a recent interview, as part of Assi’s ongoing promotions, Pannu delivered a sobering reality check. The post-pandemic landscape has shifted so drastically that small-scale films might soon vanish from both theatres and streaming platforms alike.
The common logic among viewers is that skipping a film in cinemas simply delays the viewing experience. Taapsee Pannu argues that this is a dangerous misconception. The reality of the business is now dictated by OTT mandates.
There’s no denying that streaming giants are increasingly refusing to acquire films that fail to generate buzz or revenue at the box office. If a film cannot guarantee a successful theatrical performance or deliver a massive buzz on social media, then there may be no OTT deal for that title.
“The audience doesn’t know this reality… You won’t get it on OTT either, very soon. I hope they understand this and still value this kind of cinema,” Pannu said.
For a long time, OTT was considered a backup strategy for smaller films. If a film didn’t work in theatres, it could still find life on a streaming platform. That era, however, seems to be fading away. Major streamers such as Netflix, Prime Video, and JioHotstar have shifted their acquisition logic. They are now largely refusing to pick up films that don’t first prove their mettle through a theatrical run.
If an indie film isn’t a box-office hit, OTT platforms increasingly view it as dead weight in their libraries. This means that if you don’t watch a small film in cinemas, you might never get the chance to watch it at home, unless it defies all expectations and turns out amazingly good.
Nowadays, theatres have turned into playgrounds for mega-budget spectacles. This leaves mid-budget and indie films in a difficult spot. Add to that rising ticket prices and food-and-beverage costs, and viewers naturally become more selective about what they choose to watch on the big screen.
While blockbusters like Dhurandhar and Border 2 have dominated the spectacle-driven space, small and mid-budget films are surviving by leaning into genre-bending innovation. A strong example is the Maddock Supernatural Universe.
Following the record-shattering success of Stree 2 (2024), which earned INR 875 crores against a modest INR 50-crore budget, the 2026–2027 slate is packed with films mixing folklore with humour and horror. What stands out most is that these upcoming films don’t rely on massive budgets. We have Shakti Shalini this year, followed by Chamunda and Bhediya 2 next year.
Horror-comedy is now viewed as one of the safest mid-budget bets, as it appeals to families who find pure horror too dark but are bored with standard comedies.
Moreover, the industry has realised that the “Pan-India” approach is failing. The new winner is hyper-local authenticity: films rooted in specific cultures that resonate globally because of their honesty.
Last year, we witnessed several sleeper hits, such as Su From So (Kannada), a quirky folklore-rooted film produced by Raj B. Shetty. Despite its tiny INR 4.5-crore budget, it crossed the INR 100-crore global mark. It didn’t try to be “Pan-Indian”. Instead, it was unapologetically Kannada, which made it a curiosity for the rest of India.
Laalo: Krishna Sada Sahaayate (Gujarati) is another striking example. A devotional drama made for just INR 50 lakhs, it crossed INR 100 crores in late 2025. It redefined the Gujarati industry, proving that cultural grounding can beat marketing scale.
Small films like Tourist Family (Tamil) and Lokah: Chapter One (Malayalam) have bypassed the “Bollywood formula” to win audiences through raw, culturally specific storytelling.
Ultimately, the fate of India’s stories now rests in the hands of the audience. The “wait for OTT” culture has inadvertently created a “watch it or lose it” ultimatum for the very films that give Indian cinema its soul. If we continue reserving the big screen only for titans and spectacles, the quiet, gritty, and culturally rich stories will have nowhere left to go.
If we want a future where cinema is more than just explosions and CGI, we have to show up for the stories that dare to be human, before the screen goes dark on them for good. Stay tuned for more updates.
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