As per the buzz in the film industry, OTT platforms have landed a crushing blow on four major projects, two of which feature Prabhas in the lead. Fauzi, Spirit, Varanasi, and Raaka have been at the receiving end of a rejig at streaming platforms.
When these projects were announced, huge returns were expected from OTT deals. SS Rajamouli's Varanasi, in particular, must have counted on Netflix for a Rs 500-Cr deal. If the speculations are to be believed, Netflix is not offering more than Rs 200 Cr. If it's true, the film's budget must have been reduced accordingly. Fauzi and Spirit, too, are supposedly in a soup. Allu Arjun's Raaka has some distance to cover before it knows where the industry is headed.
It's likely that the makers of these films did plan for the eventuality. Post-theatrical release gains will be substantial if these films, particularly Varanasi which is going to have a Hollywood release, become box-office hits. The OTT platforms will raise the value of the streaming deals in that case.
If big-ticket pan-Indian movies are having to go through this, one can imagine what medium-range biggies like Vrushakarma, Sambarala Yeti Gattu, and Swayambhu must have been through.
Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are at the centre of this reset. They will be calling the shots from here on.
