When OTT first began to boom in India around 2016 with platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and JioHotstar, India’s independent cinema found a creative breakthrough away from the struggles of traditional mainstream distribution.
Today, almost a decade later, indie cinema finds itself at the crossroads, abandoned by both streamers and theaters.
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Directors like Sumanth Bhat recall how, just a few years ago during the Covid lockdown and post-pandemic era, streaming platforms eagerly embraced unconventional storytelling, offering hope and entry to those who were “outsiders” to Bollywood.
However, this landscape is facing a significant shift: platforms and their producers no longer have the appetite for risk and experimentation, and it’s now being replaced by formula-driven content solely because it guarantees mass appeal.
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Filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane also pointed out how there are little to no platforms offered to purely artistic Indian films on streaming or traditional platforms.
Even films that are celebrated at international film festivals heavily rely on international producers for funding and distribution, with no domestic support offered whatsoever.
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This issue was evident when director Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light was awarded the Grand Prix at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, yet it was after the achievement that JioStudios took interest in distributing the film.
The monopolization of film distribution has made it harder for homegrown filmmakers to find screens, let alone audiences.
Filmmakers Pan Nalin and Pankaj Parashar have also highlighted how the system is completely against independent filmmakers, with exhibition chains demanding huge cuts and distributors completely against backing non-mainstream content.
This abandonment has left most of the indie filmmakers in a situation where it’s easier than ever to make films but almost impossible to get them seen.
