Kiccha Sudeep on OTTs not picking Kannada content – There will be ups and downs

During his most recent public outing, for the inauguration of actor Chandan Kumar’s latest restaurant venture, Kiccha Sudeep was not only asked about the status of his own film Max, which he hopes to bring to theatres in May this year, but also about the state of Kannada films on streaming platforms.

Kiccha Sudeep on Max – It is a big film and is taking time; cricket did not cause delays 

Netflix does not take Kannada content as a policy and even the few titles that were on the streamer are no longer there, Prime Video, Zee5 and Sun NXT, the only other platforms that do buy Kannada films have massively reduced the number of titles they pick in a financial year, which leaves Sandalwood pretty much in the lurch, with a lion’s share of the 200-odd movies made in a year languishing without a satellite or digital partner.

The fallout of OTTs no-Kannada policy - What everyone overlooked in Rishab Shetty’s IFFI speech 

When asked about this ‘trend’, Sudeep said that a few years ago, there were a bunch of Kannada films that did really well not only at the box office, but also once they were out on OTT. The general perception was that it was that the golden days of Kannada cinema was back. “There will be ups and downs. When good films come to theatres, audiences will go and watch them,” he said, adding that filmmakers have to be aware of the changing times and trends in cinema. “We have to change according to these times and change our cinema too.”

However, Sudeep noted that the downward trend with OTTs is not only with Kannada cinema but has been affecting films across languages. He said that it is part and parcel of the trade and that they will try to sort it out when the time comes. When good films come, they will pick them up, he said. “It’s like a rollercoaster. Accept and move on or fight,” he said.