Popular OTT video streaming films are being remade in multiple languages or generating sequels, with many of them set for theatrical release. Abundantia Entertainment has signed up South Indian language films Home and Soorarai Pottru, both of which were distributed on Amazon Prime Video, for Hindi remakes.
The Tamil remake of the Malayalam film The Great Indian Kitchen is now available. The action drama Khuda Haafiz, starring Vidyut Jammwal and available on Disney+ Hotstar, is getting a sequel. While content makers tout the platforms’ broad reach and ability to boost appeal in a new language, critics point to the Hindi cinema industry’s continued reliance on southern storylines, citing a lack of innovation in the north.
“The trend supports the idea that tales can find an audience regardless of platform, and the creative goal of a firm like ours is to be screen-agnostic anyhow,” said Vikram Malhotra, founder and CEO of Abundantia Entertainment. In addition to the connect and effect of these stories, the enormous reach of streaming platforms provides producers the confidence to adapt them to a new language or distribution medium, according to Malhotra. He noted that in the next years, flawless story transitions will not only be possible between cinema and online displays, but also between comic books and games.
The Great Indian Kitchen was first streamed by Charles George, the head of Malayalam-focused OTT service Neestream, who said that good cinema has always been chosen for remakes and that any film will appeal to audiences if it connects with them, even if it is available in another language on a streaming platform.
“We are a country with 121 different languages and 270 different mother tongues.” Each language also has its own dialects. Aside from Mumbai and the Hindi belt, most other Indian states prefer to hear a narrative told in their own tongue. “Songs are a huge draw,” said Arunabh Kumar, founder of The Viral Fever, whose original FLAMES will be remade in Telugu by OTT platform aha Video.
“When a regional spectator hears the songs he liked and admired in Hindi, in his own tongue, it adds that much more emotional meaning for him and hence appeal to the recreated picture,” he added.
“Aside from straight remakes or adaptations, online originals may also see spin-offs and prequels,” Mantha added, alluding to Loki, the Disney+ Hotstar original, which follows the events of Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame. In contrast, Bob Biswas, a ZEE5 original film starring Abhishek Bachchan that premiered in December, following the role of a contract assassin from the 2012 thriller Kahaani.
