Mega Hindi film by superstar flopped at box office but Panchayat is a hit: Arindam Sil on why audience can't be taken lightly

At India Today Conclave East 2022, actor-filmmaker Arindam Sil pointed out how the Indian audience has evolved, which is why a show like Panchayat is a hit on OTT, while a 'mega Hindi film by a superstar' tanks at the box office.

On Monday (July 4), several eminent names from the Bengali cinema industry marked their presence at the India Today Conclave East 2022. Actresses Raima Sen and Paoli Dam along with actor-filmmaker Arindam Sil shared the stage and were a part of the session titled The Streaming Revolution: How it’s Breaking Language and Geographical Barriers. During the session, Arindam Sil spoke about how the Indian audience has evolved over the years, perhaps thanks to the advent of the OTT platforms. Comparing Panchayat, a web series that's turned out to be a huge hit on OTT, and 'a mega Hindi film by a superstar' that flopped at the box office, Sil pointed out that it is about time we took note of this changing viewership pattern.

At the India Today Conclave East 2022, Arindam Sil mentioned that the viewership pattern of the audience is changing. "Viewership patterns are changing and we have to adapt to that. A very recent mega project by a great Indian hero flopped at the box office as well as OTT. But then there's Panchayat which is so fresh, and a Jamtara, so many others that have become household names," he said.

Conclave East 2022 Full Coverage

Arindam Sil also shared his thoughts on whether OTT will ever replace cinema halls. "Firstly, a work of art is not measured by the money it makes. During Covid times, all digital platforms raced ahead to create records of their own. As soon as cinemas opened up, one of the largest digital platforms lost 2 lakh subscribers. There's no conflict between digital platforms and cinema halls. Cinema halls will be there, but OTT provides a great avenue for content creation that's also creating more work and making way for experimentation. We have a film like Roma, shot in black and white. Martin Scorsese made The Irishman, which is three and a half hours long. He wouldn't have done it for the theatres. So, you have to respect and make way for both," he concluded.