Here’s why Nawazuddin Siddiqui believes that only extraordinary content will pull audience to cinemas

Cinemas have reopened, films are releasing and audiences have also returned, but Nawazuddin Siddiqui feels that there is still a catch when it comes to the whole movie-watching experience.

The actor says that he also an audience will only go and watch content in cinemas which are worth his while.

“The content is what drives me. And the kind of content that is coming on OTT right now, the audience will not go and watch that standard of content in cinemas. Only extraordinary content will motivate audiences to go to cinemas. Agar waqai koi acchi film hogi toh audience aa jaegi dekhne theatre mein. Even when we were kids we used to go and watch only those films in theatres which had gat word of mouth,” he tells us, noting how nothing has changed when it comes to drive to watch films in cinemas.

The 47-year-old also points out how in the past two years of the pandemic the audience has become more content conscious but he adds that the seeds of this were plated a few years ago.

“Of course that is the case. But I think pandemic has hit now but that mentality and shift to watch standard, good content started slowly much before 2020,” he adds.

Siddiqui, who has himself generously dabbled with the OTT medium with projects like Sacred Games, Raat Akeli Hai, Serious Men among others, says how he had noticed the audiences shift in the bait of watching digital content way before the pandemic hit.

“There already was a lot of audience on OTT for some years now. Even when the cinemas were functioning properly, people were moving to watching OTT content. The fact of the matter is that achhi cheez jaha ayegi, log usko dekhenge,” he explains, while adding that now is the time for stiff competition between the two mediums.

“Competition abhi solid hoga. If quality content does not come on either then audience will reject it. Some change has to happen and it will happen,” he ends.