LIGHTS, CAMERA, INDIA

INDIA’S MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY IS GOING THROUGH A MULTI-LAYERED TRANSFORMATION, WITH A LOT HAPPENING AT ONCE. THE DEMOGRAPHIC DIVIDEND WILL ALLOW GROWTH ACROSS ALL PLATFORMS

- SIDDHARTH ROY KAPUR

It’s never easy to be asked to prognosticate about the media and entertainment industry, be­ cause in even relatively stable times, your best predictions can go wildly wrong. It feels even more of a fool’s errand to do so as I pen this article in January 2023, given the disrup­tion that the COVID­19 pandemic has caused in audience behaviour across the world, precipitating a 180­-degree whiplash in strategies and tactics at most studios, streamers, exhibi­tors, broadcasters and creators. But why are we even in this deliciously volatile industry if we don’t stick our necks out every now and then? And so, much against my saner judgement, I shall.

It is now clear that the reports about the imminent demise of the theatrical experience have been greatly exaggerated. Audiences have come out in droves for titles released in 2022, such as Avatar: The Way of Water, Top Gun: Maverick and Jurassic World Dominion globally, and closer home, for K.G.F: Chapter 2, RRR and