Santosh Viswanath: We hope One’s OTT release restarts the Right to Recall discussion

For Mollywood filmmaker Santosh Viswanath, the one-year wait for the release of his second project titled One had been nerve-racking. The film, which has Mammootty playing a chief minister, was initially set for an April 2, 2020 release and had almost completed its entire shoot before the nationwide lockdown was declared.

Even when the film finally hit theatres on March 26, 2021, it came with its own set of challenges – the Kerala elections and a slow rise in the number of COVID-19 cases. That’s why the filmmaker is excited for the second lease of life that movie might get when it releases on Netflix on April 27. In conversation with Viswanath:

How much does an OTT release help a movie even if it hits theatres earlier?

It definitely helps. In the case of One, a lot of people watched the film when it released in theatres. But still a vast majority who wanted to see the movie have been waiting for the OTT release. A lot of people, whom I know, have been asking me when was it going to release on Netflix? So, considering the current COVID-19 situation, OTT is the best platform for this film to reach the audience.

Have you made any changes for the OTT release?

Yes, we had to work on the sound. We use Atmos audio format for theatres, but OTTs don’t require that and so had to work on that. Apart from that we had to trim the credits in the beginning, but that’s about it.

After One’s release, there were discussions among audiences on social media about the Right to Recall that the movie highlights.

That was our intention too because we wanted people to discuss Right to Recall. However, because of the timing of the release – with the elections and the second wave of COVID-19 – we weren’t able to reach as many people as we would have liked. That’s why we are hoping once the movie releases on Netflix and TV, it will spur on the conversations about the topic.

Considering that OTTs have become viable release platforms, would you have had to scale down a project like One if it was being made now and a theatrical release wasn’t a possibility?

When we made One, there was no pandemic and so it was made solely for theatres. But now, if we were to make a movie like One for OTT, we would have conceived it differently. We wouldn’t have made it such a big way to appeal to the masses as a commercial entertainer. For OTTs, we have the freedom to focus on the subject. That said, I still believe that theatres will be back and my wish is to make movies for theatres.

You were planning to work with Kunchacko Boban again after Chirakodinja Kinavukal. Is that project still on the cards?

That movie was supposed to go on floors last year. It’s a road movie that deals with a lot of travel and outdoor shoots. Due to the prevailing conditions, it’s not feasible to shoot that film now. Currently, I am thinking of new scripts.