Priyanka Chopra Jonas thinks people should embrace OTT platforms as they have allowed the audience to consume diverse stories and democratised the film industry.
Chopra Jonas was speaking at a virtual press conference of streaming platform ZEE5’s launch in the US, late Tuesday evening. The launch announcement was made by Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global.
“That’s what you’re seeing in Indian cinema – the freedom of streaming services is allowing people to have larger thoughts than the formula that existed before. That there should be five songs, a fight sequence. That formula has gone away. Now people want to tell great, real stories, with which they identify,” the actor told reporters during a virtual press conference. “It’s amazing because it gives new writers, actors, filmmakers an opportunity to come into an industry that was monopolised for a long time by a very specific number of people. It’s a great time for growth, entertainment and specifically for Indian cinema,” she added.
Chopra Jonas said the boom of streaming services, particularly in India, has broken down a “specific number of people” monopoly in the film industry.
“The freedom that streaming has provided to audiences around the world is that you can watch a movie at the comfort of your homes. That’s amazing. It’s spreading culture, teaching people, educating them, there’s a large, new audience that is being exposed to all kinds of Indian cinema,” she added talking about the OTT platforms impact in the Indian entertainment industry.
Apart from acting, she is also a film producer who has produced the critically acclaimed Marathi-language films Ventilator and Paani under her banner Purple Pebble Pictures. “When I started making regional movies six years back it was still very nascent in becoming mainstream but now you can see regional cinema from India dominating charts in the US and China. I think there is a massive hunger from the South Asian communities to see their own localised content and themselves being represented. With streaming services being able to provide that platform, I think people everywhere will feel represented,” the actress noted.
As part of the launch, ZEE5 unveiled its line-up of Originals and other films across languages to release on the platform in the coming months.
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