'OTT, theatres have their own place in the sun'

In an era where people can access top content in films or music across the globe with just a tap on their devices, AJAY BIJLI, managing director, PVR INOX, India's largest cinema exhibitor, in an interview with Roshni Shekhar in Mumbai talks of the resilience and significance of the theatre industry in a digital-first world. Edited excerpts:

- AJAY BIJLI MD, PVR INOX

After the pandemic, a lot has changed in the film industry. PVR INOX has added initiatives to go beyond the theatre business by expanding its revenue stream and using cinema as a multi-purpose social hub. Will this be the new norm for cinema exhibitors?

I don't think so. We are comparing two different formats of how movies are watched. OTT (over-the-top platform) is another format for home entertainment.

Home entertainment and the cinema have been coexisting for decades. Then there have been radio, black-and-white television (TV), to colour TV, satellite channels, and DVDs (digital video discs) and now we have come to OTTs. Like many, OTT is one more addition to home entertainment. We (the theatre industry and the OTT platforms) are not in competition. Both have their own place in the sun.

All that has changed now because there is a window between the captive audience and the OTT audience (referring to the theatrical window, where the period when films were shown only in theatres before being available in other mediums). However, people are not straitjacketed. They still want to have shared experiences and shopping centres, and quick-service restaurants are doing well. Similarly, cinema is a shared experience outside home and I think it will always remain.

It was because the theatres were closed for 18-24 months during Covid that the volume of OTT increased. But it is not an either-or thing. We are comparing two different formats of filmmaking.