When the producers of the Tamil film Soorarai Pottru decided to release it on Amazon Prime Video last November—amid shuttered cinemas and an enraged Tamil Nadu Theatre and Multiplex Owners’ Association—its director was not the happiest person. Sudha Kongara felt that several rousing moments in her movie, which would have been otherwise boisterously celebrated in the cinemas with religious awe, would be lost in the solitude of domestic viewership.
She now says, in retrospect, the OTT (over-the-top) platform was the best thing that happened to the film. It went across borders, got dubbed in many languages, and earned a respectable IMDB rating.
Kongara’s desire got fulfilled two months later when three shows of the film were held at the Chennai International Film Festival. She experienced every vociferous reaction from the crowd that she had anticipated. “I got my closure,” she says, laughing. “Now I have actors from [film industries across the country]—Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi—asking me to make films. How could it have been possible if not for streaming?”
Soorarai Pottru is just one of several films that were released straight on a streaming platform over the last year and a half because a theatrical release was not possible. Major stars like Suriya, also one of the producers of Soorarai Pottru, and Dhanush, who was sitting on big-budget films, bowed down to streaming services rather than wait for better times—in part due to growing pressure from financiers. Blockbuster films like Vijay’s Master got the frenzied reaction in cinemas—the first major Tamil release of 2021, in January—but also raked up the numbers when it released online.
The power of choices, ease of discoverability, and range of content have led viewers down unfamiliar routes. Even Telugu films found a place in shared watch lists between friends, while Malayalam cinema’s Fahadh Faasil became a pan-India favourite. What Bong Joon-Ho, the director of Korean Oscar-winner, Parasite, said less than two years ago, came true: “Once you overcome the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.”
While streaming services shy from giving numbers, the success of films released straight to the web can be gauged anecdotally—and by following the chatter on social media. Backhanded compliments come in the form of remakes—the most obvious form of flattery. Soorarai Potru is being made in Hindi, directed by Kongara, despite already having a Hindi-dubbed version, titled Udaan.
Netflix’s Tamil anthology series Navarasa, co-produced by Mani Ratnam, was in 10 countries’ top 10 lists including Malaysia and Sri Lanka. In its first week, more than 40% of viewers were from outside the country. Another Tamil film, Jagame Thandhiram, was subtitled and dubbed in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. In the last year, Martin Prakkat’s Nayattu (Malayalam), Praveen Kandregula’s Cinema Bandi (Telugu), V. Vignarajan’s Andhaghaaram and Madonne Ashwin’s Mandela (both Tamil), and anthologies Pitta Kathalu (Telugu) and Paava Kadhaigal (Tamil) have all featured in the top 10 in India.
“The growth of streaming services in India provides a massive opportunity for new talent to share their stories with the world. We are excited to have stories by a new generation of incredibly talented stars and storytellers from South India,” says Pratiksha Rao, director of original films and licensing for Netflix India.
Some of the more prominent movies on Amazon Prime Video include The Great Indian Kitchen, Joji, and Drishyam 2 (all Malayalam); and Tamil movies Karnan and Master, which topped IMDB’s list of most popular films and web series of 2021. Prime Video has programmed films in nine Indian languages, including Marathi, Bengali, and Gujarati. Disney+ Hotstar got the Telugu film Maestro and the multilingual Annabelle Sethupathi, besides Mookuthi Aman and November Story, a Tamil film and series respectively, among others.
Continue reading your story on the app
Continue reading your story in the magazine
Escape To Zoom Island
When the pandemic untethered millions of workers from their offices, a new species of digital nomad was born. They set off with laptops and passports, and have made it clear they're never coming back. Now, on a sun-dappled island in the middle of the ocean, a group of them is engaged in a novel experiment that might foretell the future of work.
There's No Place Like Chrome
The elusive family behind one of fashion's most unlikely phenomena explain how they built Chrome Hearts into an expensive, exclusive, and weirdly alluring empire.
Why The Coolest New Watches Look Like Vintage Grails
Brands like Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, and Cartier are dusting off decades-old designs and reimagining them for the modern connoisseur, says GQ watch columnist Nick Foulkes.
The GQ 30 Most Influential Young Indians In Association With The Glenlivet Glassware
They're setting trends and disrupting norms. They are driving innovation, pushing boundaries, and affecting change. They are entrepreneurs, cultural stars, and tech titans who are shaping the way we live, work, and play. They include the director of India's first silent queer film, the co-founder of the world's highest-valued edtech start-up, and an exciting batter tipped to be a future national captain. Here's presenting GQ's 2022 new establishment list, featuring a set of young, original achievers who reflect the best of India's youth and a dynamic economy on the rise.
Kicks For Summer
Neons and high-tops and pastels and pleather-it's sneaker season and the choices are off the charts.
Where GQ's Eating
MAAI |THE COFFEE | THE READY-TO-DRINK| THE WHISKY | BALSA |PEOPLE OF TOMORROW
TRIUMPH OF THE TRISTAR
There are cars and then there are cars that ruin all others for you. The Mercedes-Maybach S580 is the latter.
Queen Of The Global Night Club
Rosalia found stardom by doing something very specific: updating flamenco for the digital age. But with a new album full of genre-melting, party-starting hits, the Spanish singer is ready to show Just how expansive her music can be.
PEAK SNEAKER
These nine sneakers—and one hyped-up clog-embody the bold spirit of creativity and collaboration that defines fashion right now.
SIMPSONS FOREVER
Born as a prime-time satire of Middle America, The Simpsons has become something else: the inspiration for all kinds of high art, from the runways of Balenciaga to the canvases of KAWS. GQ goes inside the minds of the show's creators—and gets a rare interview with Matt Groening—to explore our most influential sitcom's second life.
Killer Heat Is Here
The record temperatures ravaging India are a warning of global catastrophes to come
FOOD FOR Thought
All about food
THE TREE OF Life and Fertility
DR. V. RAMAKANTHA shares some insights into the science, history and mythology of the Banyan tree, also known as the Bengal Fig or Indian Fig. The Banyan is one of those mythical trees that has had an important place in the life and history of the people of India since ancient times. It is also home to many species of birds, animals, and epiphytic plants.
East Meets West
KALYANI ADUSUMILLI grew up in a minority group in the United States, straddling cultures, learning how to fit in, and later learning how to accept the traditions of her heritage. Today, she is watching her children going through the same process, shifting their cultural identity, as they head toward adulthood in the melting pot of a multicultural society.
NILANGANA BANERJEE: 2 series The 'Selves' | The Lullaby
The series Selves aims to artistically represent the psychological conflicts we face when we weigh ourselves based on socially determined of what is ideal and where we stand with the distorted and one-size that fits all defined.
Why We Are Not Responsible Toward the Environment
DR. ICHAK ADIZES is an expert in change management for organizations. Here he shares some of the reasons why companies are not changing their actions in relation to the environment, even though everyone knows we are facing an environmental crisis. He also offers simple solutions that will bring change.
Annadata Suraksha Abhiyaan
A tailor-made insurance initiative to financially secure farmers and growers against farming risks.
The FORCE Behind the FORCE
How George Lucas created Hollywood's most beloved franchise
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO GET STARTED IN MAGNET FISHING
In addition to treasure hunting, magnet fishing has an environmental aspect-it helps to clean up our waterways.
Sorry, iPhone 6 Plus users, your phone probably can't be repaired anymore
Apple moves two older devices to 'vintage' status.