Ranbir Kapoor on OTT: If I have to release Barfi or Tamasha today, people would probably like to see it in the comfort of their home

A lot of artists have spoken about the co-existence of theatres and OTT since the emergence of the new medium in the past few years. Ranbir Kapoor gave his two cents about the discussion, stating that he would like to make films for mass appeal but there would be a few films where he would only cater to the medium of OTT platforms. Moreover, the actor also said that box office collection is the ultimate validation a film can seek from the audience. 

During a group media interaction, Ranbir stated, "Box office collection is the most important because it gives you a clear idea that a large number of people have seen it and liked it. Of course, now when you have the critic reviews, it's something that kind of senses that mass audience in a direction that okay, this film is good, let's see it. Today, everyone's a critic, and with social media, the word of mouth reaches faster."

The Rajneeti actor also said, "Earlier, films used to get released on Friday and fall on Monday, but nowadays, the film drops on Friday night itself. And if a film is great and it has not opened on Friday, it gets better the next day. So everything is working out, in a good way, only positive. The box office, however, is crucial."

Talking about having OTT as a new medium of entertainment, Ranbir shared, "Today, thankfully, we have another platform like OTT, because certain films are of a certain nature, and when you have another platform, you don't have the pressure of a box office collection. But when you make a film like Shamshera, and you want a box office collection, you cannot release this film on OTT because it's made for a collective audience."

He added, "But say if I have to release a Barfi! or a Tamasha today, that's not going to work in a theatre. I don't know if it will, but I think people would probably like to see that in the comfort of their own homes. A couple of years back, we were saying OTT was the death of cinema and all that. It's not that. I think you see it in a positive way that today the audience has got another platform. It's their choice. We, as makers, are slaves to the audience. Now they will choose how they want to see the film. Your job is just to give them the content."

Moreover, Ranbir also said that most of his films have worked on multiplexes but have not struck the right chord in the smaller towns of the country. The actor said, "You have to know which film you're doing, what genre you're doing, and you have to budget the film in that sense. You have platforms like theatre, television and OTT; you release it in that aspect, which has been a very advantageous thing. So much talent is being used; so many actors and directors are being used on OTT. So when I say that, I don't mean that I only want to make films for the mass; I'm saying I would like my films to reach the masses because I don't think the mass has only seen my films. I think most people know me from my advertisements on TV. I don't think they've gone to the theatre to watch my films. I know that the biggest hits in my career, 90% of the collections, have come from multiplexes. I'm aware of these statistics. So when I say I want to touch the masses, because I don't think my film has reached the mass, or it's not calculated in the smaller towns of my country. As an actor, as an artist, I want to do that."

The Brahmastra star said, "Now I have the opportunity that I'm at a certain age where I can do that and would like to continue as much as I can. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't do something like Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui. If that came to me, I would do it. But I would probably do it for an OTT medium. I will not put the pressure for a theatrical release on it because you will kill the perception, you may not make money, and then when it's released on OTT, you're going to have the baggage that it was a flop. Why should we watch it? Well, you have to manage that."