MUMBAI: With the recent release of ‘Soorarai Pottru’ and its subsequent success (according to the overwhelming support on most social media platforms at least), it is time to ask an important question that usually starts coming up at this point – which film will be the most watched before the year ends? Usually we would be looking at theater turnouts or box office numbers, but obviously this year has been different because of the coronavirus.

With the ongoing pandemic, most people have been stuck indoors, with majority of film lovers sticking to OTTs to pass their time. With this shift in medium of viewing, two things changed – the access to regional films became easier and the amount of movies available increased drastically. Films like ‘C U Soon’, ‘Ponmagal Vandhal’ or ‘Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal’ wouldn’t have got the the national coverage that it received, if it wasn’t for the pandemic or the quick release of films on streaming platforms.

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But most films have been flops except for ‘Dil Bechara’ and ‘Soorarai Pottru’ in India, this year. They will most likely be the most watched Indian films this year. Even the controversial film ‘Laxmii’ might gather interested audiences because even if the movie is considered a flop by most mainstream critics, the film still attracts a lot of people for its distinct subject matter. The fact that it is controversial is a good thing, as controversy brings people together to discuss certain issues and understand why someone is offended by something while another person is not.

This is how the most watched film should come by this year and/or next year. With films in India being controversial in recent years, it will actually help more people to view these films and hence increase the audience viewership. Of course we still got more than a month left, but the upcoming Indian movies will probably not be able to match the OTT numbers shown by ‘Dil Bechara’, ‘Soorarai Pottru’ or even ‘C U Soon’ (mostly due to the time remaining). But we hope more films will release and become bigger hits and hence help the digital space to be a more accepting platform for more film makers.

SOURCE – BINGED NEWS

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