Indian cinema has been on the global stage many a times now and has substantial degree of recognition for its unique storytelling, vibrant music and cultural elements in the world. The same cannot be said for the Indian content streaming on OTT platforms though despite being critically acclaimed.
One big reason for this could be cultural specificity and content accessibility. Indian OTT content is basically targeted for the Indian viewers and hence relies quite a lot on local tastes, with dialogues and themes suited to our Indian scenarios. Moreover, the Indian-specific narrative style that appeals deeply to domestic viewers does not find a connection with international audience.
Most of the popular Indian shows like ‘Mirzapur’, ‘Paatal Lok’, ‘Panchayat’, and more play on themes like caste politics, rural feuds, and deeply local references that require a certain cultural context which ain’t that easy for a global audience to fully get a grasp on.
Compare this to more globally appealing international content from Spain or South Korea for instance, they try to work more with universal themes like survival, heists, rebellion against injustice, apocalypse, fantasy and that seems to work out well around the world.
Other major reason for Indian content not making big outside India is poor marketing and promotion strategies. While global streaming giants like Netflix and Prime Video might have a sorted plan for promotion within India they rarely extend that promotional reach globally.
As a matter of fact the same isn’t true for shows like ‘Money Heist’, ‘Squid Game’, ‘Stranger Things’ and many more, which are a global phenomenon and are heavily marketed in India as well. Whereas Indian content is mostly neglected when it comes to marketing outside India.
All in all, the efforts are needed from the end of the makers to work on more universally and globally relatable themes and at the same time the platforms need to be more enthusiastic about Indian content and it’s global reach.