Exclusive! Khuda Haafiz 2 director Faruk Kabir feels OTT trend is temporary, says ‘Habits change, cinema is here to flourish’

While Khuda Haafiz was a direct-to-OTT release, Agni Pariksha released in theatres.

Faruk Kabir (Instagram).

Faruk Kabir, who released Khuda Haafiz on OTT, feels that the trend of booming OTT is temporary. He said, “Habits change, cinema is here to flourish.” The director released Chapter II in theatres and the film was declared a hit.

Faruk dismissed the idea that movies that do not perform well in theatres, do on OTT. “Exciting engaging content is irrelevant to the medium, good content is the need of the hour,” he shared.

The director feels the human habit has changed thanks to lockdown and being locked watching content on OTT for two long years. He however agrees with the saying that habits change in 21 days. “Give it some time, cinema is here to stay and flourish,” Faruk added.

The filmmaker spoke about pressure of making the sequel to Khuda Haafiz – because they have to meet, if not raise expectations of the fans. He however also shares that he put in more months in writing the story to make it more engaging and entertaining than the first.

Faruk also wished that he could arrange for more interactions between the audiences and actors, in order to actively promote his movie. He indirectly hinted that he hoped to cut down on media interactions and rather hoped to talk to fans directly.

Khuda Haafiz 2, much like Khuda Haafiz, starred Vidyut Jammwal and Shivaleeka Oberoi in the lead roles. The movie had a theatrical release.

Khuda Haafiz Chapter II: Agni Pariksha will now release on OTT. The movie will be available for streaming on Zee5 from September 2.

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