It's raining fresh Bollywood movies on OTT platforms, thanks to the Coronavirus lockdown that has resulted into the indefinite shutting of theatres among other public places. Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana's Gulabo Sitabo was the first film to skip theatrical release and make it to the giant streaming platform of Amazon instead. Well, there are a streak of biggies following the suit. The list also includes Karan Johar's Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl starring Jahnvi Kapoor. It's all set to soon release on Netflix. Now, as per a report in Bollywood Hungama, Netflix has shelled out a massive price to acquire the OTT rights of Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, which is Rs 70 crore.
A source close to the development told the portal, "Gulabo Sitabo was acquired for around Rs. 65 cr, and when it comes to the Janhvi Kapoor film, Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl has been one of the most talked-about and keenly anticipated releases of 2020. Now given the hype surrounding the film, and the fact that it is sure to tug the patriotic stings within your heart, it comes as no surprise that Netflix coughed up Rs. 70 cr to acquire the venture.” That's a huge deal, isn't it? Further, source added on how this deal is to the makers of the biopic.
"Like in the case of Gulabo Sitabo, the sum paid by the OTT platform is much higher than the production value. As for Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, the cost of production is estimated to be between Rs. 25-30 cr, as against the Rs. 70 cr being earned from its sale. Now thanks to this, Karan Johar stands to make a neat profit even before the film hits screens,” continued the source.
We now wait for the film's release date. In other news, films like Big Bull, Laxmmi Bomb, Shakuntala Devi and Sadak 2, too, are reported to directly release on OTT platforms.
image source: instagram/janhvikapoor