A feature film is about to be made and released exclusively on YouTube. Shot in four languages, the project is being helmed by NextGen media.
The film, the funds for which will be sourced entirely through crowdfunding, is currently in the casting stage. The production team has already zeroed in on a script and attached a director to the project.
Speaking to Silverscreen, Aravindh Srinivasan of NextGen said he is confident about the movie recovering the budget. “We are approaching it just like a feature film. And I can confidently say that the movie will easily recover 60-70 per cent of the budget.” Quoting the 2017 Deepavali releases to support his argument, he said: “Both Mersal and Meyaadha Maan released during the occasion. The audience thronged the theatres to watch both movies irrespective of their size and stature. As long as the content is good, today’s viewer is not bothered about the cast and crew.”
Talking about arriving at the idea, Srinivasan said: “Until now, no Indian film has been made with the sole intention of releasing it exclusively on YouTube. Those that did release directly on YouTube have done so either because of a problematic theatrical release or censor issues. Discussing this with friends, I hit upon the idea of making a film exclusively for the YouTube platform. My friends found this to be a good idea and promised to join in as producers for the venture.”
The next step was to find a script that would suit the medium. “Following the support provided by friends, we began actively searching for a good script that could be made into an entertaining film. After an extensive search, we have now finalised the script.”
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Srinivasan said he intends to make the film simultaneously in four languages – Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi, and it would shot either as a bilingual and trilingual with the cast remaining largely the same. “Although this film will first release on YouTube, we intend to make an attempt to release it on other OTT platforms and through TV channels also.”
Our prime focus is to ensure that this film, which is to be presented free of cost to viewers, is of international standards, said Srinivasan, adding: “Four years down the lane, OTT and YouTube are going to be the norm. At least we’ll be remembered as the first ones to have made the leap.”
More details about the film will be revealed in the coming weeks.