Streamers shelve, put shows on hold as quality concerns rise in Indian OTT industry

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Video streaming platforms that were long accused of indulging filmmakers who dished out long-format shows running into several hours and episodes without offering any compelling content, have now not just tightened purse strings but are also making greater effort to ensure quality standards are met in whatever programming they put out.

For instance, Netflix that had announced an original film titled Chakda Xpress starring Anushka Sharma, has no plans of launching it, with people familiar with the development confirming that the movie went over-budget without turning out great. The American streaming platform had earlier pulled the plug on a murder mystery called Penthouse directed by Abbas Mustan and Baahubali: Before the Beginning, a spin-off of the action film franchise.

According to media reports, the fate of Amazon Prime Video’s Gulkanda Tales is also uncertain, as the platform asks for reshoots, unhappy with the product. In an interview with Film Companion earlier this year, actor Imran Khan had said that he was working with filmmaker Abbas Tyrewala on a spy series that was in the early stages of development at Disney+ Hotstar but fell by the wayside.

Producers and content creators say reshoots and post-production delays are now common, as is shelving a project that has been in development for over a year, as OTTs often clash with filmmakers on whether a show or film would work for their target audiences. However, cancellations after the shoot are the last resort, given that a significant amount may have already been spent.

Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ Hotstar did not respond to Mint’s queries on specific shows or the overall trend of quality control. “While the financial