At this year’s IFP Festival, organised at Mumbai’s Mehboob Studios, one thing was louder than the applause Bollywood’s growing shift to OTT. The events were filled with energy and love for the stars that arrived. Almost every Bollywood figure attending the star studded event, vocalised their feelings for OTT driven content. Star spoke on certain topics but every speech had one thing in common, OTT and Bollywood.
In every speech spoken by actors like Shahid Kapoor, Ananya Pandey, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Adarsh Gourav, Anjali Sivaraman, Vishal Jethwa, Zahan Kapoor, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Richa Chadha and Shefali Shah,. OTT was mentioned in some form or the other.
The rise of OTT has sparked clear tensions with the Hindi film industry, with streaming platforms eating into revenues Bollywood once dominated. The total Indian OTT market revenue grew by over 20% in 2023, reaching approximately 2.1 billion USD. According to the FICCI-EY 2025 report, digital media became the largest segment in the entire Indian Media and Entertainment (M&E) Sector accounting for 32% of total revenues.
Siddhant Chaturvedi said, “‘This India requires to see stories which are embedded in the masses. As the script writers are not getting access to correct resources.”
Shefali Shah said, “’Once Again’ was a hopeful film. I was sure that it would do much better in OTT than in theatres because it had a delicate touch”’.
The value of web series and films is becoming more prominent in OTT due to the low production value in Bollywood films and the change in consumer behaviour after COVID-19 pandemic. The actors are seeking digital platforms which are reshaping the industry’s future.
The film ‘I want to talk’ starring Abhishek Bachchan was a box office flop in theatres but performed significantly well on OTT.
Chaturvedi said, “‘Laapataa Ladies type of content is trending amongst the Gen-Z as these stories are connecting and are interesting to watch”.
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