Filmmaker Anubhav Sinha expressed concerns that the moviegoing experience in India is increasingly viewed as a luxury, alienating ‘average audiences’ who crave big-screen stories at affordable prices, while also highlighting issues with illegal piracy.
In a brief impromptu conversation on X, the filmmaker questioned the ‘rapid’ disappearance of affordable theatres for the everyday moviegoers. He wrote, “Imagine if good food were available only at five-star hotels. What would the poor eat?” Sinha wrote. “That’s what’s happening with cinema. If all theatres become five-star, where will the masses go to watch films? A large population doesn't need luxury theatres, they just want to see a film on the big screen.”
The Article 15 director went on to explain that cinema is a carefully crafted art, meant to be experienced in a theatre, the way it was intended by its creators. “A filmmaker works for months on a film’s sound. Every colour in every frame is calibrated with care. An actor’s pupil appears one-and-a-half feet large on a 100-foot screen. That’s where you see the depth of emotions.”
In another post, Sinha questions how movies leak on Telegram, the online messaging app, within a day of release, reflecting the advanced yet elusive nature of cyber piracy.
“One more question: How do movies become available on Telegram the very next day? Cybersecurity has progressed so far in the world. We can block any video we want. So why can't films be blocked? Governments also want the best for the film industry. I don’t know how, but their attention should be drawn in this direction,” reads the post.
However, Sinha took a stance on the evolving film industry, advocating for the coexistence of OTT platforms and traditional theatres. Replying to a post on X that opposes the thrive of OTT in contemporary times, the filmmaker said, “Why end OTT? Not at all. Every business model should exist. When there are more players, there will be more healthy competition and then the audience wins. Then the quality has to improve.”
Filmmaker Sudhir Mishra, seconded Sinha’s statement, supporting theatre experiences alongside personal viewing options like OTT. He wrote, “Absolutely. A support for Community viewing, where we sit together with strangers and experience something together, doesn’t mean that we can’t read a book or watch a film alone. Every experience is unique and, dare I say, necessary.”
Sinha's post follows after Hollywood filmmaker Martin Scorsese said that he no longer goes to theatres as he is appalled by the behaviour of the audience. Scorsese lamented how cinema was being eroded by glowing phones, reel-making and mindless chatter during a recent chat with veteran critic Peter Travers, sparking discourse among cinephiles and filmmakers across the globe.
On the work front, Anubhav Sinha’s latest project IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack is currently streaming on Netflix.
