Mumbai: Actor Amyra Dastur believes cinema is going to be transformed in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic. She said the digital space will open up in a big way.
Excited about future of OTT
Amyra said the lockdown has led to the closing of cinemas and a postponement of shoots. It has also resulted in some of her projects getting pushed.
“I’m excited to see how cinema is going to transform and how the OTT platform is going to blow up bigger than ever. Luckily I’m not a newcomer so getting work isn’t a concern. It is about quality and I believe only quality and not a last name will prevail,” Amyra said.
“Theatres will need a good six-eight months to have full houses again In that time viewership on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hotstar, Alt Balaji, Voot among others will grow. Finally, content is going to overshadow the box office, so it’s an exciting time,” added the actor.
Projects postponed
Before the lockdown was announced in March, the actor had T-Series’ murder mystery Koi Jaane Na up for release in June. The film which also stars Kunal Kapoor has now stands pushed back.
“We wrapped up shoot in the second week of February. However, release has been postponed due to the lockdown. We also could not promote the film. Also the industry is not sure when the halls will open once more the public,” Amyra said.
Amyra was also shooting for Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s production, Dongri To Dubai. It is a web series adapted from author Hussain Zaidi’s book of the same name. She was also scheduled to shoot Tamil film Bagheera with Prabhudeva. However, all have now come to a halt. Her other project, filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar’s ‘Amazon Prime Original’ Tandav is currently on the editing stage.
Lucky not to have gone to Chennai
The actor said she was supposed to fly to Chennai for a shoot March 23. However, it got postponed as the makers wanted to see what Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement would be. “Luckily I did not go… otherwise I would have stuck alone in the lockdown at Chennai,” Amyra pointed out.
The actor has featured in films like Judgemental Hai Kya and Rajma Chawal. She said once the lockdown is lifted, all her projects will resume on a priority basis.
Prioritising projects
“It’ll be hectic because everyone wants the same dates. We’ve managed to prioritise each project according to the new deadlines. I was all set to shoot for a new film and was going to announce it in April. But now that has also been postponed,” Amyra signed off.
Agencies