Somehow of late, Bollywood had given up on romances that once instilled greater confidence among dating couples. So, the latest film from the stable, Do Deewane Seher Mein, came as surprise to me in a country that had for some years now relished murders and kidnappings and mysteries – some styled on Agatha Christie novels.
India’s OTT crackdown faces a new challenge as microdrama platforms push suggestive content through social media ads, raising questions over regulation, accountability, and digital safety.
Time was when Tamil films had regular press shows, which were held a few days before the movies hit the theatres. But this has now been cancelled, as filmmakers found much to their chagrin that journalists flouted the cardinal rule of journalism: balance.
Gen Z is reshaping how entertainment is consumed, with most users switching streaming platforms just to watch a single show or film before cancelling again.
For a long time, Indian cinema existed inside a language of anticipation. We spoke of it as an industry perpetually “on the brink”, of global recognition, of serious critical legitimacy, of finally being understood beyond stereotypes. Every festival screening was framed as a breakthrough, every foreign review treated as a moment of validation.
In 2025, HBO Max’s success is largely driven by standout shows like ‘The Penguin’, which landed 24 nominations, and returning hits like ‘The White Lotus’ with 23 nods.
Lately, I had an opportunity of viewing the latest OTT presentation on the much loved Paddington Brown Bear,“Paddington in Peru” (Paddington series 3).The bear who came from the “deep, dark jungles of Peru”, found himself, after a whirl of circumstances, at Paddington station in London.
Actor Vinay Pathak, who is awaiting the release of his upcoming film ‘Chidiya’, has said that he likes to keep his work simple, and tries to stay away from complications in the craft.
It cites the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media, Ethics Code) Rules of 2021, which provides for a “code of ethics” for OTT platforms.
The Supreme Court’s move on April 28, to examine obscenity regulations for OTT platforms and social media (in a PIL filed by Uday Mahurkar and others) is both urgent and necessary.
