Exclusive! Thank God producer Anand Pandit says 8-hour schedule stretched to 12 hours due to COVID-19 protocols

Anand Pandit, a well-known Bollywood producer, notably recognised for the film Chehre starring Amitabh Bachchan and Emraan Hashmi, believes that studios showing the willingness to delay OTT premieres will help theatres bounce back sooner than later. He thinks a six to eight-week window would be ideal. The producer caught up with OTTplay to discuss his upcoming film Thank God, how the ongoing pandemic has affected filmmaking, how OTT has been a game-changer and his thoughts on censorship. Excerpts:

Could you tell us a bit about Thank God? What and when can people expect the film?

Thank God is not a comedy film, but a humourous film. It's a slice-of-life film with a beautiful message for everyone. It stars Ajay Devgn, Siddharth Malhotra and Rakul Preet Singh and is made by a dear friend of mine Indra Kumar. The shoot is almost completed and as we have earlier announced, it will be released next July. Viewers can expect a beautiful film from us, suitable for all age groups, from college-goers to elderly people. It offers wholesome entertainment with a nice message.

What do you mean when you say it is not a comedy but a humourous film?

Total Dhamaal and Dhamaal are, for example, comedy films but 3 Idiots is not a comedy. It creates humour based on situations. It does not try to make you laugh but the situations in the film get you to crack up.

How has the pandemic affected the filmmaking process?

Pandemic has hampered everyone and it is here to stay. So, we need to live with the new norms. We made arrangements as per the COVID-19 protocols. We had, in fact, shot The Big Bull (starring Abhishek Bachchan and Ileana D'Cruz) for around 25 days during the peak of the pandemic. So, we had the expertise and experience. It was challenging. Shooting consumed more time and budget as we need to ensure all safety protocols are being followed. An eight-hour schedule now would stretch for 12 hours.

Could you tell us about the Hindi version of Manike Mage Hithe? Would it be a part of the story of the film?

It is very well a part of the story. The collaboration happened due to t-series. The song would attract a lot of youngsters. It would add extra merit to the movie. 

Chehre had a theatrical release when only 50 per cent occupancy was allowed. And After a brief run in theatres, you had the film streaming on OTT. So were you able to compare the responses that you got from theatre and OTT?

We decided to run the film in theatres for a social cause and not for business. Theatres were all closed or working with 50% occupancy. No producers were ready to release their films in theatres until Akshay Kumar released Bell Bottom. Theatres have supported Bollywood for over 60-70 years. Without theatres, Bollywood would not be the way it is today. Someone had to take the courage and bring the film to theatres so that they can start running and people who had lost their jobs can get back to work. It was important to release the film in theatres so that viewers are encouraged to come to theatres and put pressure on the government to allow more capacity. So with theatres, it was a social cause and we knew the film Chehre would do wonders on OTT. It is one of the highest-rated films of the year. We received so many messages and emails from people not just from India but also overseas saying they loved the film.    

Now that theatres are opening up, do you see OTT platforms getting affected as many filmmakers, I believe, would prefer theatres?

Both platforms are good. It depends on what kind of content are you making. If you are making dark content with less budget and less popular actors, OTT would be the platform to release. If your film has a high budget and big stars, there are bigger stakes and it becomes a matter of experiencing. Hence, such films would suit theatres better. So, before you start making a film, you need to decide if it will be for theatres or OTT. Both the platforms are here to stay.

But during the pandemic, even films that were initially planned for theatrical release were forced to opt for OTT instead and they have done well. So would you say OTT has been a game-changer?

The majority of films are meant for theatres but many were forced to go on OTT. The time was also peculiar and all OTT players wanted to pay extra bucks so that a film can be directly shown on their platforms. So it worked well for both producers and OTT players. And yes, OTT has been a game-changer. Because of OTT, a lot of people from Bollywood got their jobs back. Artistes who were lesser-known became a popular and sensational hit on OTT.

You were mentioning budget and other stakes while choosing to release a film on OTT. So what are the other factors do you have to compromise on when you are releasing on OTT?

OTT has limitations about the budget. They do not generally have ad revenues. They are subscription-based models. So, they need to make calculations if they can earn an extra subscription with this kind of film. A big-budget movie like a 100 crore or more can find it difficult to survive on OTT. It would need a theatrical release, at least before streaming on OTT. 

There is an ongoing debate about OTT censorship. So what do you have to say about that?

I am not in favour of censorship, be it films or OTT. It should be self-regulated like television. There is no censorship on radio, TV and even the internet, then why on films and OTT? It is like a marketplace and films are like a commodity. If people like it, they will buy it and if don't, they won't buy it. In the US, producer issues regulations by declaring if the film is fit for a certain age group and if it has a subject of nudity and foul language. Customer is king and they should be allowed to decide what they want to see. 

What are the trends that you foresee post-pandemic?

It is completely changing now. We, as producers, are at crossroads - one is for OTT and the other for theatres. Based on the storyline, budget and actors, you need to decide if you would like to go the OTT way or theatre way. And I see myself as a student of filmmaking. Every day, things are changing and I try to learn every day or else I'd become redundant. Kehte hai na zamaane ke saath haath milake chalna chahiye.