Streaming in India has grown exponentially since its humble beginnings some 10 years ago, when ‘web series’ meant independently produced shows on YouTube. Today, the series are produced by the biggest studios in India, star A-listers, and stream on international platforms like Netflix. This proliferation of ‘content’, for lack of a better word, has also meant a dilution in quality. Yet, none of that has stopped people from watching it.
Even insiders agree that streaming has made the process of experiencing films and making them more democratic. In a chat with Hindustan Times, Ruchikaa Kapoor Sheikh, Director, Original Films, Netflix India, opens up about how streaming has changed not just viewers’ consumption patterns but also makers’ approach to films.
‘Reviews are not a measure of a film’s success’
Not long ago, reviews were seen as a make-or-break for films. Bad reviews had the power to sink films on the first weekend, while good reviews could often elevate even struggling films. Reviews, coupled with audience interest, translated into word of mouth, the critical engine for any film’s box office prospects. But streaming films do not rely on box office. But now they no longer have to rely on reviews, either. Ruchikaa cautions against dismissing reviews completely, but agrees that audience perception now builds on more than just critics’ opinion. “I’ll be honest. I wouldn’t say reviews don’t matter. I think reviews are an important part of the conversation around and about a film, but at no point are they a measure of its potential success,” she says.
“There was a time that critics were your only way in being able to decipher, understand, or get access to a film. That was the only way. Today, it’s such a democratic entertainment landscape that every film arrives on its own terms, and every audience member individually arrives to that film on their own terms,” adds Ruchikaa.
The head of Netflix films says today that the films that get recommended are the ones that generate chatter, not necessarily the best-reviewed. “What we see very often is that films that get recommended are films that are spoken of. Like everyone will recommend Amar Singh Chamkila. Many people don’t recommend Haseen Dilruba or Sikandar Ka Muqaddar, but they are being watched. So we are acutely aware that there will be films that may not be spoken of as widely, but they do something for an individual,” she explains.
‘Don’t have to choose between an entertaining and thought-provoking film’
Streaming has also changed how filmmakers approach titles and ‘projects’ today. In the past, many filmmakers like Karan Johar and actors like Naseeruddin Shah have admitted to doing big-budget masala stuff only so that they can make niche films that appeal to them creatively. Ruchikaa says streaming doesn’t have that compulsion. “Those are not the times anymore,” she says. “At this point, I don’t have to choose between making an entertaining film and making a thought-provoking one. On streaming, we definitely right-size that because we’re aware that a certain film has a certain audience, and therefore we need to make sure that it optimises for that audience, which is when it becomes super successful for us.”