Aamir Khan’s ‘OTT only after 6 months’ strategy for Laal Singh Chaddha; digital rights remain with Viacom’s Voot Select?

The buzz on social media right now is that Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha, which releases in theatres tomorrow, August 11, has been ‘picked up’ by Voot Select for its digital rights. The thing is, Voot Select is owned by Viacom 18, which has produced the film along with Aamir Khan. It was earlier reported that Laal Singh Chaddha, like most Aamir films, would head to Netflix after its theatrical run. There was, apparently, a Rs 160-crore deal with the streaming giant.

However, this seems to have changed after the Bollywood star asserted that it would be better for films to make it to OTT a good six months after their theatrical run to ensure a decent box office outing. During a recent interview for the promotions of Laal Singh Chaddha, he had said, “How do you expect people to come to the theatres? If the movies are released on OTT so quickly, some movies are releasing within 3-4 weeks. If it is coming so fast, cinema does not stand a chance in theatres! I make sure my film does not come on OTT at least for 6 months since release. This tells the audiences that this movie is made only for theatrical viewing. If they want to watch the film on OTT, they can always do it to revisit the film.”

Reacting to the news that the digital rights of Laal Singh Chaddha remain with Voot Select, netizens said that the streaming platform has been looking at firming up its content portfolio and has, hence, held on to its own film, instead of selling the rights. Others reckon that the six months from theatrical release clause is a deterrent for other streaming platforms, which have been procuring films, including blockbuster movies, at 30-60 days from release.

Well, the film is releasing in theatres tomorrow, so there will be clarity on its satellite and digital partners once the credits roll. We will keep you updated if there’s any change to this.