The movie making business, just like many other businesses, has seen a sea change in the post-pandemic period, with movie stars inflating their remuneration year after year. Filmmaker Vetrimaaran has raised the issue of OTT platforms paying bucket loads of cash for the rights of certain films, which feature major stars.
He blamed the streaming platforms for leading to an imbalance in the film industry by paying huge amounts for the rights of these films. The filmmaker, known for films such as Asuran and Viduthalai, said that OTT platforms even shell out more than Rs 100 crore to secure the streaming rights to films featuring stars, prompting them to inflate their fees.
"It is not the theatrical box office that is failing, it is the inflation created by the OTT platforms that is failing. See, they barged in during pandemic times and said 'We'll pay Rs 120 crore for Rajinikanth and Vijay's films, you make it.' Then, the budgets became bigger, the salaries became bigger," Vetrimaaran said in a roundtable by The Hollywood Reporter India.
He then said that within a few months, streaming platforms discovered that this formula is far from sustainable and are now refraining from giving such big amounts. "But producers have gotten used to making bigger films, and actors have gotten used to taking bigger salaries. What to do now?" the Asuran filmmaker asked.
The filmmaker also accused OTT platforms of self-censorship, stating the OTTs do not want to show people eating beef as a particular community and a religion could be offended by such depictions in movies. "They used to be paymasters, so their demands were also more. I might as well go to my people and do a democratic business," he said.
He further predicted a revival in theatrical revenue. Vetrimaaran explained that reducing salaries by 30-40 per cent and focusing on budget-friendly film production could lead to a significant increase in theatrical revenue.