Indian cinema monopolised by some, but OTT opened doors: Priyanka Chopra

Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who had to fight her own personal battles in Bollywood as an actor, has hit out at the Indian film industry for being “monopolised” for the longest time by a “specific number of people”.

Streaming platforms however have democratised the film industry and come to the rescue of several new artistes by giving them an opportunity to showcase their talent, added Priyanka, who made her digital debut with The White Tiger this year.

Also, OTT platforms have helped content to evolve by opening up a space for new stories and ideas, she said, News18 reported.

Priyanka, who was addressing a virtual press conference of ZEE5’s launch in the US, said that she felt storytelling and formatting of stories needs to evolve. According to her because of the freedom given by streaming services, it is allowing Indian cinema to have “larger thoughts” than formulaic films that had five songs and a fight sequence.

“That formula has gone away. Now, people want to tell great stories that are real and they identify with,” she reiterated.

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“It’s amazing because it gives new writers, actors and filmmakers an opportunity to come into an industry that was monopolised for a very long time by a very specific number of people,” she said, probably making a veiled reference to the Bollywood badshahs like Karan Johar, Aditya Chopra, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan etc.

It is great time now for growth, entertainment, and specifically for Indian cinema, pointed out the actress, who became an icon of sorts for south Asian women in the US, after she appeared as an FBI agent in the American TV series Quantico. Her next Hollywood outing is Matrix 4.

After praising OTT for opening doors, Priyanka also quickly pointed out that nothing can replace the excitement of watching movies on the big screen.

There’s no world in which she’s not going back to the theatres as soon as it opens because that experience is very special, she said. “I don’t think theatrical is going anywhere but I think the freedom that streaming or OTT has provided to the audience around the world — being able to watch a movie from the comfort of your home with your family in your pajamas — is amazing because it’s spreading culture and educating people,” said the actor, who announced the nominations for the 93^rd Oscar Academy awards this year.

The world too is being exposed to all kinds of Indian cinema. So, it is an exciting time to embrace streaming, its not the future, it’s the present, she said, the News18 report added. According to her, regional cinema from India dominates charts in the US and China because there is “massive hunger” from the south Asian communities to see their own localised content and to see themselves being represented.

The actress, who is one of the successful crossovers from Bollywood to Hollywood, ended her talk by sharing about her quest to be able to create more recognition, representation for south Asian cinema and artistes so that south Asians can be seen and heard outside their world.