The lock down saw an opportunity for the streaming giants to really get a hold in India but disaster content being made in India means its just a lock down play as far as longer times being sent on the streaming platforms. This is the case for satellite and television as well due to the lock down. All the OTT content does is celebrate success which is not there and content which hardly as an audience is pretty much disgraceful celebrated as a success.

There was some web series a few weeks back called Paatal Lok where the team of this series was celebrating the success on the day it came which was pretty hilarious as even FLOP films dont do that and do it a bit later if they have to. The media pushed it as its no surprise as things that dont get an audience are usually pushed by the media. In the lock down the entertainment media needs its content to be read and viewed and when you give Bharat, Housefull 4 or Dabangg3 even writing negative  will get read and viewed as the interest is there for the films. Here there is hardly interest so only with positivity you can get people to read or view your content although it will still be limited as there is not much interest in the subject in the first place.

This web series had some issues with some groups due to the racism and sexism in the series but that is no surprise either as without censorship most Hindi content makers for OTT think this is the easiest way to get eyeballs but its never the case.

The super failure of this Pataal Lok can be measured by the eyeballs that its trailer got on the free platform compared to a Gulabo Sitabo which itself looks poor content and the the two songs of the film practically cementing the fate of the film. Both are from the same streaming company and Pataal Lok has a little under 6 million views and Gulabo Sitabo has 40 million plus. Now these cant be taken seriously in many case but here both are coming under the same channel so if the question arises of buying views then it would be the the case for both as its the same channel. There is the factor that Gulobo Sitabo is an acquisition so the producers are from the film industry and buying views is pretty prevalent in the film industry. But to assume 35 million views have been bought would be also ridiculous also.

Maybe anywhere between 10-20% could have been bought but that still puts it far ahead Patal Lok and the poor trailer and songs of Gulabo Sitabo is there for the majority to see. Surely the craze that Patal Lok is meant to be would have everyone give the trailer a look at least and that too on a free platform. This has not happened because its a case of a disaster being celebrated as a success. A few years back it was a series called Sacred Games which was a disaster and celebrated as if was a bigger craze than Bahubali when audience was not even 2% of Bahubali 2. Some theatrical super flop films manage to get 2% of Bahubali and that is not counting the television or digital audience.

Another funny thing is the makers and media want the world to believe that in a lock down period where families are basically stuck together at home they are getting together and watching content which is full of sex, violence and profanities (you have to have a pea for a brain to really believe this). This Pataal Lok is also said to stink of racism also. Its also weird that the impression is being given that India is mainly watching digital web series in the lock down which cannot be further from the truth. 

The real winners in the lock down are programs like Mahbharat and Ramayan and even other religious series like Shri Krishna and Mahima Shanidev Ki. The mythological series have been far ahead of the others. The numbers are there for these series and these are totally the other end of the spectrum as to what OTT is giving (sex and violence).  Just common sense says when crores are watching these mythological series then you cant have a huge audience for violence, sex and profanities in the same country. You also have films dominating like Bahubali 1, Bahubali 2, Housefull 4, Total Dhamaal, Darbar and War from the recent lot be it digital or television.

A big reason for the failure of web series is that the makers are generally flops and rejects of the film industry. One of the biggest flop directors of the film industry ever Anurag Kashyap who is synonymous with the words DISASTER and FLOP also has a film named Choked for a streaming giant so when its someone who failed again and again in terms of content with films then it will be the same with OTT content.

Although the perception painted will be different as usual which was also the case with films of this guy who never even came close to smelling a HIT let alone giving one. Tried and tested failures are jumping ship to OTT and results will be there for all to see. This director Anurag Kashyap also had a lot of issues with the censor board probably because he wanted to show his sexual and violent content in films freely. No censorship for films in India would have meant many perverted minds giving disgraceful sexual and violent content to get some eyeballs because their content has nothing else for the audience. There could have even been anti India films as one these type of directors make all sorts of films but the one missing in a long filmography is always a patriotic one. Even if this Anurag Kashyap tries something devoid of sex and violence then the inability of telling a story will be there which will ensure another disaster.

These sort of directors got benefit of Hollywood studios who came to India but the studios are now redundant as far as films goes. The directors have now jumped ship to OTT which is actually good for the film industry which can leave the door open for better talent. The streaming giants will also have to get better talent as fresher and cleaner content will be needed if Indian web series content is to drive them forward. The huge plus for streaming giants is the foreign content because if they were to rely on the likes of Pataal Lok and Choked they would be out of India faster than the Hollywood studios. The huge premiums being paid to big star films is also a sign that original OTT content is hardly helping the streaming giants cause..