The ongoing debate over the ideal gap between theatrical releases and OTT premieres has found two of Bollywood’s biggest stars on opposite ends. After Aamir Khan recently advocated for a six-month window to protect the theatrical business, Akshay Kumar has voiced his disagreement, suggesting that a shorter gap is more practical for all stakeholders.
Akshay Kumar counters Aamir Khan’s six-month gap between theatres and streaming release: “OTT platforms also need to benefit from the deal”
In a conversation with ABP Live, Akshay stressed that OTT platforms, which invest heavily in digital rights, also deserve fair treatment. “According to me, a three-month gap is okay. Six months is too long because at the end of the day, the OTT platform is paying you for the digital rights. They also need to benefit from the deal,” he said.
The actor-producer added that the industry should return to the pre-pandemic model, where theatres and streaming platforms co-existed without friction. “When it comes to digital rights sale, producers happily take money from the OTT platform. But when we want to, we also conveniently say our films aren’t working because of OTT. We don’t consider that maybe we’re not making the right films,” he remarked.
Akshay admitted he consumes a significant amount of OTT content himself, not just for entertainment but also to scout talent for his own projects. “I don’t have any other work than making movies. Since I’m not educated, I do only movies. So, I get a lot of time to watch OTT,” he shared. Acknowledging his journey, he added, “Thirty percent is hard work, which should feel like you’ve done 100% hard work, but you also need that 70% luck to make it. When I enter a studio, I often see a struggler better looking, a better dancer, and who does better action than me, but he hasn’t gotten a chance yet.”
His comments come in the backdrop of Aamir Khan’s evolving perspective on the theatrical-to-OTT window. The Laal Singh Chaddha star has long criticized the shrinking gap, blaming it for dwindling footfalls in cinemas. After Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies underperformed theatrically but found immense popularity upon its Netflix release, Aamir doubled down on his call for a minimum six-month gap.
At present, most films follow an eight-week theatrical-to-digital model.
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