An original stream

Gurnaaz Kaur

Veteran filmmaker Martin Scorsese brought stalwarts Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci together in his epic crime film The Irishman. Based on the 2004 book I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt, the film follows Frank Sheeran (De Niro), a truck driver who becomes a hit-man and gets involved with mobster Russell Bufalino (Pesci) and his crime family, including the powerful Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino).

With a production budget of $159 million and a run-time of 209 minutes, The Irishman is one of the most expensive films of Scorsese’s career and the longest too. The film had a limited theatrical release and was followed by digital streaming on Netflix. One week down the line, it has not only received widespread critical acclaim, but has become a favourite of many.

Great platform

It won’t be wrong to say that the film, which employs cutting-edge technology to tell a tale spanning many decades, became accessible only due to the OTT platform! Be it international players Netflix or Amazon Prime, or home-grown ones, like Zee5, Hotstar, MX Player and others, digital platforms have sure become a boon. Web series have been the talk of the town, but these streaming services are investing in content-driven original movies like never before. There were reports that Netflix had plans to launch 22 original movies and 11 series in India by 2020, as part of the company’s goal to create appealing content.

This addition of ‘original movie’ to the content catalogue has resulted in change at many levels. It has opened options for low-budget films, independent filmmakers and, of course, provided endless scope for the already-big production houses. Not only new talent is being absorbed by this medium, but censorship and other restrictions don’t hamper its progress.

Wonderful opportunity

“I think making movies for OTT platforms is great. It just gives so many people more opportunity to showcase their talent. We have many talented directors and fantastic actors, who are being given a chance to do what they like doing. My current favourite is The Irishman because it has my favourite actors,” says Dino Morea.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, On Body and Soul, Private Life, Roma, Paddleton, The Little Prince, The Big Sick, The Handmaiden, Manchester By The Sea, The Lost City of Z, Bird Box, Mowgli: Legend of The Jungle are some of the names doing the rounds online. In Hindi Chopsticks, Cabaret, Love Per Square Foot, Lust Stories, House Arrest, Kanpuriye, Posham Pa, Rajma Chawal and Drive are available online.

Whether you like horror, comedy, heart-wrenching dramas, crime thrillers; they are all available in the list on your homepage. These movies may not have had theatrical releases with star-studded cast, but their impact is as strong or even stronger sometimes.

Since the platforms have loyal viewer base, instead of box-office numbers, the conversations on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram reveal the feedback, which is monitored by a dedicated social media team.

So, aren’t you streaming yet?

gurnaaz@tribunemail.com