Hindi
Are producers and cinemas heading for showdown on OTT release?
MUMBAI: Nothing compares a theatrical experience: the sprawling screen, overall ambience, high-quality surrounding sound system, the cheering (and sometimes jeering!) crowd, and the overall immersive experience it provides. The pure joy of being there just cannot be supplanted with any other medium. But, the Covid2019 pandemic has necessitated the need for other means of movie release: OTT.
Cinemas are unhappy with the release of movies directly on an OTT platform by skipping theatrical windows. With the Covid2019 pandemic refusing to fade away anytime soon, theatre release is not possible, at least in the foreseeable future. Will this lead to a showdown between cinemas and producers? Or will there be co-existence to find common ground?
A recent statement by INOX has pitted the exhibitors against the producers. The cinema chain expressed “extreme displeasure and disappointment” on an announcement made by a production house to release their movie directly on an OTT platform by skipping the theatrical window run. The decision of the production house to deviate from the globally prevalent content windowing practice is alarming and disconcerting, said INOX in a statement.
According to INOX, cinemas and content creators have always been into mutually beneficial partnerships. “INOX has been investing profoundly towards adding world-class quality screens, across the country, only to provide more eyeballs to the great content being produced. This partnership has endured for decades and has provided succour to each other. INOX will be “constrained to examine its options… and reserves all rights, including taking retributive measures, in dealing with such fair-weather friends.”
In response to this, producers’ guild of India issued a statement, expressing disappointment at the “abrasive and unconstructive messaging from some of our colleagues in the exhibition sector.”
“Statements that call for “retributive measures” against producers who decide to take their movies directly to OTT platforms, especially at a time when cinemas are unfortunately closed for the foreseeable future, do not lend themselves to a constructive or collaborative dialogue on the way forward for the industry.”
The guild said that we are in unprecedented times, facing one of the greatest public health and economic emergencies of our lifetimes. This is a time for the entire film industry to come together with empathy and support for the difficult predicament.
The production sector (just like the exhibition sector) is suffering hundreds of crores of losses on a daily basis. Elaborate and expensive sets erected for under-production films have had to be taken down due to no date in sight for shoots to resume, with the sunk cost of the set and studio rentals to be borne completely by producers, as insurers refuse to cover the cost. Shoot schedules have had to be abruptly cancelled due to the lockdown, with huge cancellation charges being borne completely by the producer, again with no support from insurers. Interest costs are mounting on amounts raised to fund films, with producers having to bear this additional burden with no date in sight for cinemas to re-open. In this context, the guild said, it is important that each stakeholder understands and empathises with the predicament of the other, rather than adopting an adversarial stance which is counter-productive for the entire value chain.
Indiantelevision.com reached out to producers and directors to seek their reaction in this regard. The overwhelming feeling among the fraternity is that it is a temporary phase and that OTT release is the need of the hour – the product of a peculiar situation like this. Once the situation normalises, theatrical releases will happen and people will throng to watch movies on the big screen.
Film producer Ramesh Taurani feels that taking the OTT route is the right decision at this point of time.
“The current scenario has led to producers taking this decision. In an ideal world, these films would release theatrically, but we are still trying to figure a way for theatres to reopen safely. Since the majority of the content is being consumed online right now it is the better call given the pandemic. Producers also have their financial restraints and can’t hold on to their films beyond a point so it definitely is the correct decision right now,” he said.
Hats Off Production founder Jamnadas Majethia says: “As I always say that these are extraordinary circumstances and unique situations. So such decisions and behaviour will surface till we really don’t have a clarity on the impact of Covid2019.”
According to him, films have premiered on OTT earlier also. “And we will see ‘houseful’ boards at cinema halls again. These habits of the big screen experience have been built over the number of years and we can’t change it over with a few months of restrictions. The vaccine will do the magic for the world. And till then it will be creations, innovations and survival of the fittest and emergence of good human behaviour that will help us create new opportunities of business,” he adds.
Malayalam producer-director Anil Thomas said producers have no other option but to release movies in OTT. “Even in the Malayalam film industry we are releasing movies on OTT platforms as we are left with no choice. Theatres are the last thing that will open after lockdown is lifted. So, producers over here have mutually decided to release shows on OTT platforms.”
According to him, not all the movies will be released but the ones which have low shelf-life or. “Nobody wants to release on OTT platforms; theatre has its own experience but till the time everything will get back to normalcy it will be too late. They are mainly worried because if content gets released on OTT platforms then there will be a shortfall for theatrical films.”
Anil Thomas feels that theatre bodies and film producers will have to find common grounds. “In the long-run for all of us to survive, there should not be a showdown and all. We have to find a solution. I am also releasing my film Soothy Sujathayum on Amazon Prime,” he said.
Film director Kunal Kohli said: “Let INOX release what per cent of their revenue is ticket sales vs F&B. No one goes to a theatre to eat, right? Start sharing that revenue with producers as well, before accusing them of trying to survive in a world pandemic never witnessed before by mankind.”
Let inox release what % of their revenue is ticket sales vs F&B.F&B is based on ticket sales, no one goes to a theatre to eat,Right? Start sharing that revenue with producers as well, before accusing them for trying to survive in a world pandemic never witnessed before by mankind
— kunal kohli (@kunalkohli) May 14, 2020
A user said: “Well sir it is all about business. Don’t forget how many people rely on these cinemas. If everything changes suddenly, who will be responsible for those people who will lose their jobs? Though everything is becoming online, but don’t forget the whole chain.”
Replying to this, Kunal said: “There is an even longer chain of workers making the films. They also need to survive. Pls read my tweets properly. Theatres like I said WILL survive. Films WILL release in theatres. Some have chosen to go digital. Nothing wrong with that. Need to support them as well.”
There is an even longer chain of workers making the films. They also need to survive. Pls read my tweets properly. Theatres like I said WILL survive. Films WILL release in theatres. Some have chosen to go digital. Nothing wrong with that. Need to support them as well.
— kunal kohli (@kunalkohli) May 14, 2020
Hindi
Jio Studios unveils AI-powered Krishna teaser at NAB Show 2026
Global first look of Krishna uses Galleri5 AI pipeline on Azure, Historyverse slate as Jio’s Dhurandhar crosses Rs 3,000cr worldwide.
MUMBAI: Krishna has just dropped a divine teaser and this time the gods are powered by silicon, not just scripture. Jio Studios and Collective Studios’ Historyverse stole the spotlight at the NAB Show 2026 in Las Vegas with the world’s first teaser for their upcoming theatrical feature Krishna, directed by Manu Anand. The big reveal happened during Microsoft’s keynote “Powering Intelligent Media, From AI Experimentation to Real-World Impact,” where the film’s AI-native production pipeline took centre stage alongside Collective Artists Network’s in-house platform, Galleri5.
At the heart of this mythological spectacle lies a fresh cinematic workflow built by Galleri5 on Microsoft Azure’s advanced AI and cloud infrastructure. Forget bolting AI onto traditional VFX or animation, this is an end-to-end, production-grade system woven into every layer: world-building, character creation, shot design and final output. Yet the storytelling remains firmly director-led, emphasising emotional depth, stillness, music and performance rather than pure spectacle. The result? Large-format theatrical cinema rooted in Indian history and culture, but conceived in ways that were simply not possible before.
Collective Artists Network runs Galleri5 natively on Azure, leveraging Microsoft Foundry and cutting-edge AI tools to handle film, episodic and advertising workflows in a secure enterprise environment. Microsoft highlighted Collective as a “Frontier” organisation successfully moving AI from pilot projects to real production-scale deployment in cinema. The technology is also on display at Microsoft’s NAB booth in the West Hall (Booth W1731).
Jio Studios (Media & Content Business, Reliance Industries), president Jyoti Deshpande said the project advances the studio’s mission to take Indian stories global with scale, ambition and authenticity, “With Krishna, we are embracing cutting-edge AI-led filmmaking while democratising these tools to make them more accessible, intuitive and cost-effective for storytellers everywhere.”
Collective Artists Network founder & group CEO Vijay Subramaniam added, “We’re using technology developed in India to carry our culture and history to audiences worldwide at a scale never seen before.”
Microsoft, vice president for telco media & entertainment, gaming Silvia Candiani noted that the media industry has reached an inflection point, “AI is no longer about experimentation but delivering real impact at production scale… By building AI-native creative systems on Microsoft Azure, Collective exemplifies how storytellers can unlock new formats, move faster and realise a true return on intelligence while keeping human creativity at the centre.”
Krishna forms part of Historyverse, Collective Studios’ ambitious slate of history and culture-driven IPs. The slate draws from iconic figures and traditions that shaped the Indian subcontinent, including stories inspired by Kali, Karna and Durga. It builds on the already-released Mahabharat: Ek Dharmayudh series, showing how ancient narratives can be reimagined for modern screens.
Jio Studios, India’s leading content studio and the media and content arm of Reliance Industries, continues its blockbuster run. The studio’s Dhurandhar franchise led by Dhurandhar and Dhurandhar: The Revenge has become the first Indian film series to cross Rs 3,000 crore worldwide. It also delivered three consecutive years of India’s highest-grossing Hindi films: Stree 2 (2024), Dhurandhar (2025) and Dhurandhar: The Revenge (2026). In just eight years, Jio Studios has assembled a library of over 160 films and series, with more than 60 titles winning over 500 awards. Other notable successes include Laapataa Ladies (India’s official Oscar entry 2025), Stree, Article 370, Shaitaan and Mrs.
The NAB unveiling marks another step in Jio Studios and Collective’s push to blend Indian storytelling talent with frontier technology proving that the future of cinema may well be both ancient in spirit and thoroughly modern in execution. For audiences who love epic tales with a fresh twist, Krishna promises to deliver divine drama, this time with a little help from the cloud.
