NEW DELHI : Emraan Hashmi’s new film Dybbuk will premiere directly on Amazon Prime Video on 29 October. Produced by T-Series and Panorama Studios, the film is a remake of 2017 Malayalam film Ezra.
Known for their entertaining and emotional storylines, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada movies have provided ample fodder for Hindi film narratives, for years. Tiger Shroff-starrer Baaghi 2 (a remake of Telugu movie Kshanam), Ranveer Singh’s action comedy Simmba (Telugu film Temper) and Salman Khan’s action romantic comedy Bodyguard (Malayalam film of the same name) are some of the biggest blockbuster remakes in recent years, with profits of Rs. 101 crore, Rs. 100 crore and Rs. 74 crore, respectively.
With theatres having reopened in key territory Maharashtra this month, a number of filmmakers are looking at locking dates for theatrical releases. However, the backlog over the past year-and-a-half may result in inadequate showcasing for several ready projects. Though trade experts say the resumption of big-screen releases will gradually mean an end to the aggressive turn video streaming platforms had taken to acquire films for direct digital premieres, some producers are likely to take the OTT route for projects that may not find viable showcasing in cinemas.
Netflix which will stream Kartik Aaryan’s Dhamaka on 19 November, has already premiered titles such as Taapsee Pannu’s Haseen Dilruba and Parineeti Chopra-starrer The Girl On The Train earlier this year. Amazon Prime Video had Farhan Akhtar’s Toofan and Dharma Productions’ Shershaah streaming recently.
Trade analysts and entertainment industry experts said digital has emerged stronger than ever before during the pandemic and is unlikely to go away any time soon, despite theatre owners urging filmmakers to release films for big screens to help in the recovery of the industry.
