Mumbai: Senior Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit, who is currently seen in the OTT series ‘Mrs Deshpande’, believes soaring ticket prices and OTT platforms have made families selective about watching films in theatres.
The actress admitted that though strong films still manage to pull crowds at theatres, a movie outing is no longer a casual decision for families. “If the film is good, it will run, and you have seen a few films performing well in theatres recently. So, it is not as if films are not running. However, the cost of tickets is very high. When a family goes to the cinema, they have to spend a lot of money, so they really need to budget and think carefully about which film to watch and which not to watch,” Madhuri was quoted as saying by IANS.
She further stressed that movie buffs are now reserving theatre visits only for films which they believe are truly worth the money.
Highlighting how OTT platforms have altered daily viewing habits, the veteran actress explained, “Because of OTT platforms, movies are literally at your fingertips. You can watch them at home whenever you want, when you get the time.”
“By the time people return from work, it is already 8.30 or 9.00 in the evening. After that, going out to watch a film becomes quite difficult. Weekends are the only time when people can actually go, when they are free,” she said, while adding that long workdays often discourage weekday theatre visits.
Despite these challenges, Madhuri still remains optimistic about the future of theatres.
“On OTT platforms, you can watch a film at any time, at your convenience, and it is cheaper to watch a film at home. You can make all the popcorn at home and enjoy it. There are many reasons for this change, but I do not see a bleak future. I just think some things can be corrected to make the cinema experience better for people,” the actress concluded.
OTT series ‘Mrs Deshpande’ also stars Priyanshu Chatterjee and Siddharth Chandekar.
