Veteran actor Gulshan Grover says he has respect for OTT platforms but theatres define the festive experience of watching films, and it is something that has been missing over the past year.
"For almost a year now, we have been watching films and series on OTT in our homes. We have been watching content from across the world. The OTT has its own advantages but we also want to get out there and want to have a real experience of watching a film," said Grover at the trailer launch of the upcoming film Mumbai Saga on Friday in Mumbai.
About filmmakers who have gone ahead and released films amid Covid protocol, he added: "It's a gutsy and courageous move from producers and entertainers that we care for the audience. Accepting the idea of 50 per cent capacity in theatres is a big step for financiers, producers and actors because the numbers are going to be counted."
The Sanjay Gupta directorial Mumbai Saga, is set in the eighties and the nineties. It chronicles the changing landscape of Mumbai when mills were being replaced by malls and highrise buildings.
"We have respect for OTT platforms. They are here to stay and they will be an integral part of our lives, but when you release a film on OTT there is no festivity, no celebration, no noise. There is no getting together of people, no one calls you and expresses his enthusiasm of watching the film," Grover said.
"The festivity was missing, the publicity was missing, the excitement was missing. So, it all comes back. As for competition among producers, there is no competition at the moment. They all want to get to a theatre somehow or the other. (Industry) People will make way for others and will celebrate success of other producers," he added.
Mumbai Saga features John Abraham, Emraan Hashmi, Suniel Shetty, Kajal Aggarwal, Rohit Roy, Anjana Sukhani, Mahesh Manjrekar, Prateik Babbar, Amole Gupte, Samir Soni, Shaad Randhawa and Gulshan Grover. The film is set for a theatrical release on March 19.
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