OTT platforms are not capable of changing Bollywood “forever”, celebrated actor-cum-director Rakesh Roshan has said, indicating the grit with which the Hindi film industry has survived all challenges so far, including some black swan events like Covid-19. 

Speaking at NDTV’s “India Through the Eyes of Its Icons” series, Mr Roshan said: “You can never say forever. When video came, many people thought the same, but it did not change Bollywood.” 

Drawing from his decades of experience in the industry, Mr Roshan’s remarks were in response to a question on whether technology and OTT platforms have the potential to change Bollywood forever.

Mr Roshan agreed with iconic writer Salim Khan that lack of powerful story-telling is proving to be the Bollywood industry’s Achilles heel.

He also said “packaging a story” is equally essential and that this “wholesome packaging” is something that is not found in films made these days.

The south Indian industry still makes “wholesome” movies and technology is providing it the “kind of edge that is needed to keep viewers hooked to cinemas today”, the distinguished film-maker said. 

On the evolving art of movie making and choices of the audience, Mr Roshan said: “Movie making is in An between territory. In a decade from now, either it can evolve into a completely new direction where our movies would be seen as too old or it can return to a larger-than-life cinema that we used to make but is today being substituted by a wave of real-life movies.”