Indian movies premiere on streaming services amid lockdown to curb coronavirus, to the fury of some cinema operators

Producers in Bollywood who face financial constraints with Indian cinemas closed have begun premiering films on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+ Hotstar

With streaming services costing less than US$2 a month, India’s cinemas face some serious competition when they reopen – and stringent health measures

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Streaming services in India are taking on the cinemas in the battle for Bollywood. Sandeep Bacche is an Indian rickshaw driver and fan of Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, whose face is tattooed on his arm. He can’t wait for cinemas to reopen. Photo: Punit Paranjpe/AFP

Published: 8:45pm, 7 Jul 2020Updated: 8:45pm, 7 Jul 2020

A Bollywood actor’s face tattooed on his arm, Sandeep Bacche’s devotion shocks few in India, where film stars enjoy semidivine status. But even here the hallowed silver screen may be losing its shine to streaming services and fears about the coronavirus pandemic.

“Whenever things get better and theatres begin operations, I will watch three movies a day for sure just as a way to celebrate,” said the Mumbai rickshaw driver, who is recovering from the virus himself. But others may not join the party.

With cinemas shut for months due to a lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus, and little prospect they will reopen soon, frustrated Bollywood producers have turned to the likes of Amazon, Netflix and Disney+ Hotstar to release films online.

Gulabo Sitabo, starring Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan, premiered on Amazon Prime last month. To the fury of cinema operators, other Hindi films have followed a similar route, as have productions in Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam.

Empty poster display cases at a closed cinema complex in Mumbai. Photo: Indranil Mukherjee/AFP

Inox Leisure, India’s second-largest operator of multiplex cinemas, warns producers of possible “retributive measures”.