The Growing Trend Of Regional Content On OTT Platforms

The new era of content is here and it is here to stay!! The shift to digital content is not an alien concept but what is fascinating is the changing trend within the digital content on Indian OTT platforms.

Gone are the days when people watched content on television along with a varied audience of different age groups sitting together. The urban families have access to their own devices now where they watch content based on what they prefer.

This shift to individual viewing is what led to the advent of the regional content boom in digital and it didn’t take long for OTT platforms to start working towards this growing change.

New strategies by Netflix and Amazon Prime video include generating local and regional content for Indian audiences and well, they are not the only ones doing this.

Amazon committed on investing $300 million for creating original content in Hindi and other regional languages.
Apart from Amazon, video streaming service Viu has started offering service in Telugu after Hindi and Tamil

Experts say that the streaming platforms have realized the potential of regional languages whose speakers are spread across the world. For instance, ALTBalaji’s Tamil show Maya Thirrai witnessed viewership across the Middle East, US, and UK which house huge sections of Tamil population.

“Regional content definitely gives better uptake in terms of engagement, people usually take half the time to lap up regional content (as compared to Hindi or English).”

As per estimates, the OTT market is currently valued at $280 million with nearly 100 million subscribers, and it is poised to grow at 35 per cent year-on-year.

Hotstar, Voot, Amazon Prime Video, Sony Liv, and Netflix are the top OTT platforms in India.

With trends changing at such speed, it is extremely difficult to predict the trends that take place in the digital content but one thing for sure and that is, the audience now knows what they want and the platform that delivers the most shall stay in the long run.

What do you have to say about this? Do you think this growing trend of regional content will sustain the wrath of this industry? Share your views with us in the comment section!!

OTT Platforms Are All Game For Self Regulation But No Censorship !!

Leading OTT platforms of the country have decide to come together and form a self regulation code as they collectively try to stay away from censorship. This code shall ensure that the creative freedom is protected and outside regulation is avoided.

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The OTT platforms have decided to classify content into distinct categories based on age group in order to make sure that the young audience is not exposed to content too bold for their underage audience

They voluntarily signed a self-regulatory Code of Best Practices under the aegis of the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI). The code establishes guiding principles for Online Curated Content (OCC) Providers to conduct themselves in a responsible and transparent manner and at the same time ensures that consumer interests are protected.

According to the code, the following content will be self regulated by the streaming service providers

Content which deliberately and maliciously disrespects the national emblem or national flag;

Content which represents a child engaged in real or simulated sexual activities or any representation of the sexual parts of a child for primarily sexual purposes;

Content which deliberately and maliciously intends to outrage religious sentiments of any class, section or community;

Content which deliberately and maliciously promotes or encourages terrorism and other forms of violence against the State (of India) or its institutions; and

Content that has been banned for exhibition or distribution by online video service under applicable laws or by any court with competent jurisdiction.

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According to the OTT platforms, the code enables the customers to empower themselves and pick the content that they think is best for their age group and understanding. Self regulation is something that has rally worked well for broadcast media and we don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t be doing great for digital platforms. This code is going to encourage creativity and shall make the content creators feel more responsible towards their viewers.

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Do you think the industry is capable of implementing a self regulation code without external influence? Let us know your opinions on the same in the comment section below.

Indian OTT Platforms Taking Over Our Love For Cinema?

Weekend plans are now switching from ‘Let’s go for a movie’ to ‘what are we binge watching?’
Dates are now changing from ‘Movie at 8:00pm’? to ‘Netflix and chill?’.
Are Indian OTT Platforms taking over our love for cinema? Is the convenience of having access to media taking the old school charm of theatres away?

About 77 percent consume media on mobile devices, as a price war triggered by billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. made data cheaper and faster. Average monthly data consumed by a user nearly tripled to 3.9 GB in 2017, and EY expects it to more than quadruple to 18 GB in five years.

Bollywood and the regional movie industry is now trying to fend off the digital challenge by seeking an eight-week exclusivity for theaters before movies are available on streaming platforms and television

Videos account for more than half of India’s internet traffic and that’s “just going to explode”, Archana Anand executive vice president & head of digital at ZEE5 India, said in the report. “We’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg.”

What is it about OTT platforms that is gradually taking away India’s love for its beloved film industry? These platforms have not only made media more convenient but have also encouraged regional content which the audience finds more relatable now.

From brilliant star cast to more sensible content without the interference from censorship, there is nothing that the OTT platforms does not have to win over the cinema industry.

The question is, will the OTT magic stay in the long run as well? Or will we get back to worshiping Bollywood like we always did?
Are the OTT platforms here to stay for good? Are they the future of Indian media? The fact that there is no censorship could either be a blessing or a curse. Now, we need to wait and watch how well the OTT platform deals with the freedom that digital media brings with itself.

Let us know how you feel about this in the comment section below.

Here’s An Accurate Representation Of Monday Blues Through Bollywood!

Are you even a true working employee if you don’t face Monday blues? The wrath of Monday spares no one and if we Monday blues had a face, it would look a lot like these relatable Bollywood gifs.

There is no expression that Bollywood can not communicate, so we decided to compile the best Bollywood gifs that accurately communicate how Monday blues hit you right in the feels.

1 When you wake up and realize that it is Monday

2 When it starts to rain emails as soon as you reach work

3 When it’s lunch time and things haven’t changed a bit

4 When your patience has finally been tested

5 When you are finally heading home bidding goodbye to Monday

After two days of lazing around, thrusting you with responsibilities and deadlines is definitely cruel and there’s nothing worse than Monday Blues. But hey, on the bright side, this day will come to an end in about 9 more hours.
Also, I think that thought isn’t making this any more easier.
Here’s to you all of us waiting for the weekend!!

The Current Movie Buffs And Their Obsession With Hollywood

Why is the current generation so obsessed with Hollywood?

“Bollywood is the same old crap yaar, why can’t we make more movies like Hollywood”.
How often do we hear this when we sit and discuss movies with our peers? Well, if you don’t then you’re probably chilling with the right kind of movie lovers. Bollywood lovers, to be precise.

What is it with the current generation and their obsession with Hollywood movies? Why do we fail to realize that is art form is a representative of one’s cultural and social environment?

The concept of cinema was evolved over time and the initial purpose was never to entertain people but to spread a cultural revolution through art. The initial movies depicted our socioeconomic conditions and revolved around themes that were more human centric.

Even today, the basic concept remains the same but as the resources grew, our exposure towards the west increased, we ended up creating a fusion. A fusion that isn’t Bollywood and neither is well adapted to be like Hollywood. But again, why should it be? As a culturally rich country, I don’t see the need to get influenced from other cultures to create cinema for our people.

I agree how directors went overboard with the ‘cultural representation’ and ended up creating content that encouraged ‘sexist behaviour’, ‘eve teasing’, ‘patriarchy’ and there is honestly no way how this can be justified!! But, if you think about it, the content was selling because people were buying it!!

The Indian audience can act like a bunch of phony people sometimes. They don’t stop talking about Hollywood themes and every time Bollywood tries to do something of the same sort, it gets ditched for not being good enough. A classic example of this is Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Ra.One’ which was a well invested superhero movie, starring the finest of Bollywood but look what we did to it? We refused to embrace it because it had Shah Rukh Khan or the fact that it had Kareena dance to ‘Chammak Challo’ in it? Mind you, these are the same people who groove to this very song when they go clubbing in their swanky cars and talk about ‘avengers’ with their friends.

Art has no ‘fixed standards’ and is the only thing that is beyond comparison. There is beauty and effort in every piece of art that is created (okay, we could let go of a couple of movies here) and as audiences, the least we can do is appreciate it.

The fact that Hollywood follows a certain pattern in their movies is because it obviously represents their culture and I am not saying it’s wrong to appreciate and explore other cultures, but it is certainly wrong to compare it with our own.

Hey, all I have to say is, enough with the cribbing!! Enough with “Bollywood is never going to be as good as Hollywood” because we’re becoming better with each passing year. We’re learning and realizing that ‘content is king’ now and we’ll get there very soon but a change isn’t possible without positive reinforcement, you know?

This is our cinema that caters to a wide range of people who belong to drastically different socio-economic standards and it’s about time we understand the ideology of our filmmakers before we put our phony hats on start running the judging marathon.

If you love Bollywood as much as we do and have a message for our pseudo movie buffs who wouldn’t get over the ‘Marvels’ and ‘The Avengers’, leave it in the comment section!!

Disclaimer: The views in this article belong solely to the author and not the organisation. Opinions and criticism are most welcome.

This New Year, Can We Expect New Content From Bollywood?

Bollwyood is no less than a sea of talent and all sorts of people dive in here with their talents, their stories and their ideas but not all of them float all the way up to the top. To survive these rough waves of nepotism, casting couch, ego clashes and so much more, one needs a solid foundation to make their place way up to the top.

But, Bollywood, as someone who has looked up to you since 1994, don’t you think it’s about time we make ‘Content’ the king already? When are we going to bring the ‘sexist patriarchy’ themes to and end and make movies that are more reflective of the society?

Times have changed, the women are changing and it’s about time that you change as well, Bollywood.
It’s about you let go off certain idea and perception that you hold about the society because we’re clearly not the same people now.

Here are 8 things, we hope you get rid of as we enter 2019.

Concept of the Ideal Woman – The new audience relates to Rumi more than it does to Anjali, Bollywood. Anurag Kashyap gave us the reality, you’ve given us delusions for long enough. It’s about time we fix this, don’t we?
Consent and violence don’t go hand in hand– If she is scared of love but not scared of a slap, there is something wrong with her in specific. Women in real life are not scared of love as long as it’s with their consent and are certainly not cool with the idea of being slapped.
Creepy Compliments – Women like to be complimented but no, not the way Bollywood does it. Here’s what I am talking about “Ooperwale ne tumhe aage aur peeche bohot kuch diya hai , lekin uper kuch nahi diya hai”, says Anil Kapoor to Ameesha Patel in one of the ‘Race’ franchises and I don’t see how this is acceptable. Bollywood, you’re not categorizing women as either brainy of beautiful. The new era woman is both and she is sick of your judging standards.
Women can’t dare to dream- Why are basic mundane tasks achievements for women, Bollywood? Why did you think it was okay for Simran’s mother to say “Sapne dekho, zaroor dekho.. bas unke pure hone ki shart mat rakho”. Why have men dared to dream and why have women been waiting for permission from either the parents or the boyfriend or the husband? We’re out there to dream and we don’t need no permission to make them come true!!
No, not all women are bitches- Enough with the Pyar Ka punchnama concept, Bollywood. Men can be equally confused, frustrated, depressed and cranky and we don’t think it is cool to label all women as bitches. Tell you what Bollywood, ‘Sonu ke Titu Ki Sweety’ was an entertaining movie but I didn’t see why the girl was ‘not right’? She was just the ‘bad person’ with no clear motives. Emotions are not bias to gender, Bollywood. Let’s be more realistic.
Women don’t need to be protected– No Bollywood, No. It’s about time you understand and accept that women are not damsels in distress. We are not always out there waiting to be protected by a knight in shining armor. The new woman is strong and is capable of taking care of herself and wouldn’t it be nice if you showed a movie or two about this too?

For now, this is what the people of ‘2019’ want, Bollywood!
You make awesome content, you just have to make more of it.

Disclaimer: The views in this article do not represent the organization and solely belong to the author.

Here’s The Tragic Story Behind The Tragic Queen ‘Meena Kumari’ And Her Left Hand

If you belong to the army of Meena Kumari fans then you’d probably know what are we talking about, if not the reason, you would definitely have a fair idea of the mystery behind the left hand.

Meena Kumari was born as Mehjabeen Bano and shall forever remain one of the most cherished people in Bollywood. Her performances in Pakeezah, Saheb Biwi Aur Gulam among others hold a very special place in our hearts and they shall for years to come.

If one had to speak of all the little things associated with her, the list would never end but as fans, we decided to bring out a very important fact from her life. Many of us must have seen Meena Kumari put an effort to hide her left hand from the camera and that is bound to leave us wondering why.

So, here’s what had happened:

On May 21, 1951, Meena Kumari was returning to Mumbai from Mahabaleshwar when her car met with an accident. It was quite a major car crash which resulted in Meena Kumari being in the hospital for quite a lot of days. The little finger of her left hand was broken during this accident and started to look crooked, leaving her conscious about it.

After the accident, the shape of her finger changed, making it look round. Henceforth, Meena made sure that she hides her left hand from the camera but with all that poise and grace, one obviously couldn’t tell.

If you’re a true Meena Kumari fan and you have facts about her life that we should speak about, don’t forget to mention them in the comment section below.

FI: Source

12 Bollywood Movies That Will Keep You Hooked To Your Chairs Till The Very End

Suspense in real life, not so interesting but suspense in movies definitely makes it ten times better.

Don’t we all love watching thrillers that keep us waiting till the very end? Bollywood, stereotypically known for its romance has given us some really amazing thrillers and we bring to you a list of top 15 that you could binge watch on weekends.

Kahani (2012)

The story revolves around a pregnant woman searching for her missing husband in the city of Kolkata, with the help of a police officer. Vidya Balan’s acting is to die for and the climax is going to leave you speechless.

Manorama Six Feet Under (2007)

The story revolves around an amateur detective who finds himself in the middle of a complicated murder mystery. The movie stars Abhay Deol, Gulpanag and Raima sen but Abhay’s performance is what will leave you asking for more.

Special 26 (2013)

A team of con artists conduct raids to loot politicians and businessmen of their black money, posed as CBI officers. The movie has a stellar star cast with Anupam Kher, Akshay Kumar, Jimmy Shergill to name a few. Also, the climax is definitely one of the most unexpected one!

Karthik Calling Karthik (2010)

This story revolves around an unknown caller who calls the protagonist, Karthik, from time to time. Starring the very talented Farhan Akhtar and Deepika Padrone, the movie stands out to be one the finest psychological thrillers.

Drishyam (2015)

A man takes desperate measures to save his family from the dark side of the law after they commit an unexpected crime. Ajay and Tabu manage to keep you glued to your place effortlessly.

A Wednesday! (2008)

A retiring police officer remembers the most astounding case of his career, the one he never filed. It all happens on one Wednesday. Also, you can’t expect a movie that stars Anupam Kher and Naseeruddin Shah to go wrong.

NH10 (2015)

While on a road trip, a couple comes across a series of incidents involving a gangster who makes them run for their lives. Anushka Sharma’s performance is powerful and full of the modern day rage that we loved on the big screen.

Missing On A Weekend (2016)

Missing on a Weekend is an investigating crime story based in Goa. Police Inspector Ali Ansari from CBI has been transferred to Goa to take charge of the current ugly undercover crime space which has troubled the tourism capital of India.

Khiladi (1992)

Four friends decide to play a prank for money and fun. They pretend to kidnap one of their friends and ask for ransom. What happens next is something they hadn’t thought of. Also, the movie stars the Khiladi of Bollywood and that definitely adds more thrill to it.

Bluffmaster! (2005)

A conman after getting dumped by his girlfriend finds out that he is suffering from a fatal disease, after which he decides to do some good, one last con, for his sidekick. Watch it for Abhishek, Nana Patekar, Priyanka Chopra and the music.

Gumnaam (1965)

After winning a contest, eight people find themselves in an eerie mansion on a remote island where they get murdered one after the other. A classic that is highly recommended and Mehmood’s acting makes it one of the finest thrillers to be made.

Ek Ruka Hua Faisla (1986)

Twelve jury members gather to discuss a unanimous decision for the verdict of a murder case. All but one find the accused to be guilty who then insists on proving otherwise.

The List Of Bollywood’s Most Awaited From 2019 Is Here And We Can’t Wait!

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Bollywood creates a different magic everywhere and 2018 had more mega weddings to it more than mega movies.

Nevertheless, it was a great year for Bollywood and we did witness some amazing movies that outshone at the box office with Padmavat, Sanju, Tiger Zinda Hai, Padman to name a few.

The industry never ceases to amuse and the release list for 2019 definitely has all of us waiting. With fresher faces and fresher stories, we look forward to these amazing releases that are scheduled for 2019.

URI

Starring Vicky Kaushal URI is a story based on Surgical Strike executed by Indian Special Forces featuring Yami Gautam, Paresh Rawal, Kirti Kulkarni, and Mohit Raina and is all set to release on 11th January 2019.

BRAHMASTRA

This is the first film intended trilogy by producer Karan Johar featuring Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt & Amitabh Bachchan in the lead roles. Johar’s one of the most ambitious project is titled as “Brahmastra”.The film is going to hit the box office on 15^th August 2019.

MILAN TALKIES

Tigmanshu Dhulia directorial Milan Talkies is a love story based on the old world allure of single-screen cinemas starring Pankaj Tripathi, Ashutosh Rana and other is likely to hit the silver screen on 18^th January 2019.

THACKERAY

Nawazuddin’s Thackeray is most likely to reach the theaters on 23 January 2019. It is the most awaited biographical drama on the life of Bal Thackeray, the founder of Indian political party Shiv Sena.

SUPER 30

Hrithik’s Super 30 is all set to hit the silver screen on this republic day. Directed by Vikas Behl, is an upcoming biopic drama on the life of famous Mathematician Anand Kumar and his education program ‘super30’.

MANIKARNIKA: QUEEN OF JHANSI

Another historic biographical drama is ready to take over the cinema by a storm on 25^th of January 2019. It is the much-awaited biography on the life of Queen of Jhansi, Rani Laxmi, featuring Kangana Ranaut. The movie is already making headlines as it is going to have the biggest box-office clash with Hrithik’s Super30.

GULLY BOY

Gully boy is a forthcoming Indian Bollywood musical drama directed and written by Zoya Akhtar starring Ranveer Singh Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin in the lead roles. Ranveer Singh is playing a rapper in the film. The movie is all set to release on Valentines Day -14th February

BADLA

Directed by Prince Dhaliwal, produced by Gauri Khan, this movie is the remake of ‘Contra Tiempo’, a Spanish thriller. The movie is about an investigation of a young man and the dubious circumstances surrounding his death. It is all set to hit the floors on 8th March 2019.

KESARI

Akshay Kumar starrer, Kesari is an Indian period war drama. The story revolves around Havildar Isha Singh who takes part in a battle of Saragarhi for earning respect for his estranged daughter.

STUDENT OF THE YEAR 2

Casting Tiger Shroff, Ananya Pandey, Tara Sutaria, Karan Tacker, Ronit Roy in lead roles, Student Of the Year 2 is all set to bring some new faces. The movie is a sequel of 2012 superhit movie ‘Student of the year’. Directed by Punit Malhotra, the movie is expected to be in theatres from 10^th May 2019.

BHARAT

Bharat is an upcoming Indian Hindi-languagedrama film directed by Ali Abbas Zafar and jointly produced by Atul Agnihotri, Alvira Khan Agnihotri, Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Nikhil Namit and Salman Khan. The film stars Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Tabu, and Disha Patani. Principal photography began in June 2018 and Bharat is scheduled for a theatrical release on 5th June Eid 2019.

HOUSEFULL 4

Presenting superstars like Akshay Kumar, Ritesh Deshmukh, comedian Shakti Kapoor, Boman Irani & Chunkey Pandey in lead roles, Housefull 4 is going to be a laughter riot. It is the 4^th part of the popular Housefull series and is releasing on 25th October 2019.

ABCD 3

Director/Choreographer Remo Dsouza is coming up with his biggest dance-based movie featuring Varun Dhawan & Katrina Kaif is all set to release on 8^th November 2019.

KICK 2

Sajid Nadiadwala’s action movie Kick 2 is the sequel of super hit movie kick of 2014 is expected to release on 20 December 2019. The movie will be featuring Salman Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez in the main lead.

Bollywood is known to leave us surprised everywhere and we should totally brace ourselves for the filmy roller coaster ride that we are going to take in 2019

Let us know which movie are you waiting for eagerly in the comment section!

FI: Source