Director Ranjith Sankar has opined that as far as independent films in Malayalam cinema are concerned, theatres are the best and most ideal option. In his new blog, the Ramante Edanthottam filmmaker talked about the ideal platform to release an independent film today.

He said that while OTT seems like a great choice for independent films, the films made here go through various processes that an OTT release would undermine those efforts. “The scripts go through several feasibility studies, the genres are carefully chosen, and the market thoroughly scrutinised. One has to also make sure that they are not repeated even if the scripts are good. It’s more like a corporate production house or an advertising agency where you make ads to cater to an audience. Nothing independent or experimental about it.”

Ranjith added that there is no possibility of releasing an independent film on television as the demand for satellite rights are mostly reserved for films with a decent star cast or a filmmaker having a reputation for making commercially viable projects without the script being scrutinised for genres, market, and so on.

What about film festivals? “Well, the nature of film festivals has changed over the years. It’s true that a film with great content made in any language can reap millions with international distribution. But Indian cinema is yet to crack this market, with very few exceptions,” he said. He concluded by saying that for most of the filmmakers working in India, theatres are the only mode of release for independent films.

“The magic of cinema happens only in theatres. Commercial experiments happen only in theatres. While a few of them work, many of them misfire. But the experiments will continue.”