Earlier this year, S. Shankar came with the sequel to the 1996 film Indian. The film starred Kamal Hassan in double-role and the film became a classic hit, breaking the record for highest grossing Tamil film. The film also became India’s official entry for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Though the sequel of the film could not be on par with its predecessor. The production for the third instalment of the film is under process.
As per certain sources, it is being speculated that Indian 3: War Mode will be directly released on OTT platform and not in theatres. This action will be taken as a result of the poor reception of Indian 2, which created a bad reputation for the franchise. The film was a disaster at the box office and it also received backlashes from the critics. The producers might be cautious about the sequel’s bad reputation affecting the next film’s reception.
There has been no official statement from the makers regarding this but if the makers indeed are thinking of this, it can be called a safe manoeuvre from the makers to ensure the least chances for the film’s failure. Obviously, the makers would try to increase their profits and decrease losses as much as they can, but the strategy is a double edged one.
A film of such a calibre being released directly in an OTT platform is not a good message from the makers. It shows they have lost confidence in their own film after the failure of Indian 2. The OTT release will also mean that the makers will miss the huge potential income that comes with the theatrical release of a film. Indian 2 was made with a budget of about 250 crores, this amount of money can hardly be recovered through just OTT rights, let alone earning profits.
Hence, though the strategy of releasing the film directly in an OTT platform is a safe escape for the makers, it comes with its own disadvantages that can really harm the film and franchise’s reputation.