Up until 2020, neither Tollywood nor the Indian Film Industry, and not even World Cinema thought that the scenario of cinemas and the cinema going culture would change or be threatened any time soon. Things were only getting better for everyone, when the Coronavirus pandemic seemingly changed things forever.
While OTT platforms and theatres coexisted before the pandemic, OTT content and releases have become a lot more anticipated and sought after, due to the devastating effects of the pandemic. Audiences are scared to go to the theatre and watch films right now, scared that they might be infected with Coronavirus. As a result, the future of films releasing in theatres, like they used to, has become a major question mark.
In Tollywood, specifically, OTT releases are being preferred to theatrical releases, due to Coronavirus. Tollywood was a film industry that majorly depended on theatrical releases and revenues, but the Coronavirus pandemic changed up everything. Even big producers like Suresh Babu are opting for OTT releases, not wanting to take a risk. Apart from the films produced by Suresh Babu, Nani’s Tuck Jagdish, directed by Siva Nirvana and even Gopichand’s Seetimarr, directed by Sampath Nandi, are speculatively going to get a direct OTT release, unsure of the current situations and revenues, if they continue to wait for a theatrical release.