Why are OTT players staying away from renewing groundbreaking content like Sacred Games, Pataal Lok? Read on!

Woman filmmaker, Queer, love story; Netizens question widely-loved Lailaa Manju’s future as Pride Month ends!

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, recently in an interview, addressed the status of ‘Sacred Games’, India’s first Netflix original series which has been shut down for its third season and said that after the Tandav controversy, all streaming platforms are fearful.

The efforts of young generation of filmmakers are all love and get no dime. When Variety Magazine wrote, “Sexual Repression in India and an ‘Agra’ Without Taj Mahal” for Kanu Behl’s Agra, a Cannes Directors’ Fortnight Selection; when audiences poured their love in festival-by-festival screenings of Lailaa Manju, showcasing a rather universal story— the question that arose here is ‘Where can we watch it?’.

“Are we worried that we wont relate to a queer story? What happened when we as a ‘mass’ mourned the death of Ajay Singh Rathod in Rang De Basanti? How did we relate to the story of an air force pilot being wronged by a corrupt minister? We related to a story of loss, pain and rage.
We are emotional beings and we respond to the emotional themes of a story. Lailaa Manju is a story of healing and acceptance. It is the story of a middle class indian household coping with the pandemic. It is a tender tale of two lovers. We will relate to it.

What else are we worried about? Is it the female gaze? Or is it the fact that pride month is over and we can safely go back to invisibilizing, co-opting and misrepresenting?

All is not lost though. A Netflix’s Class or Lust Stories along with Disney+Hotstar’s Euphoria, and Prime Video’s Jee Karda are testament to the appetite that we have for narratives untold. The quest to find out whether acceptance and dignity are a ‘miniscule minority’ problem or do the ‘masses’ see value in learning about the unique yet universal relationship dynamics of two best friends.

I suspect that the discomfort is with seeing the truth for what it is – We are queer and we have always been here”, writes Samarth Khanna, Executive Producer of Lailaa Manju which has become the talk of the town with Pride Month.

One recently reads about Lailaa Manju by Kamya N, a coming-out story set in pandemic-hit Mumbai. An emotionally riveting, 60-minute mini-feature film about the universal coming out conundrum and how it’s different for the Indian queer, showcased at Indian Habitat Centre and 14th Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, South Asia’s biggest LGBTQ+ film festival recently alongside KISS, by Varun Grover unfortunately finds resonance with the audience and the critics but not the OTT players.

A few reactions that captured our attention:

OTT platforms, it's time to bridge the gap between community and mainstream cinema! @lailaamanju’s impact extends beyond boundaries. @Hotstar, @PrimeVideo, @NetflixIndia, embrace this tender tale and show the world that diverse stories matter to everyone!#MAJNUNAHIMANJU 🏳️‍🌈

— Divya Goswami (@DivyaGoswa65253) June 29, 2023

It’s not enough to wave rainbow flags without taking action. LGBTQ+ audience demand @Lailaamanju and other stories that reflect these lives. @NetflixIndia @DisneyPlusHS @PrimeVideoIN Stand up for true recognition and prove that your support isn’t performative. #MAJNUNAHIMANJU 🏳️‍🌈

— Sanskriti Kaul (@sanskriti_kaul) June 27, 2023

Calling all OTT platforms! Don't just claim to be allies of the LGBTQ+ community—show it through action. Feature films like @lailaamanju that explore the beautiful journey of self-discovery and acceptance. @PrimeVideo, @NetflixIndia, @DisneyPlusHS, #MAJNUNAHIMANJU 🏳️‍🌈

— gladtoseeyouhere (@devanshipareek_) June 29, 2023

What pride month?? Sad to see @lailaamanju win so much acclaim and no OTT player @Hotstar @AmazonPrime @Netflix @JioCinema @SonyLiv took it up to show to the wide world!🏳️‍🌈✨🏳️‍🌈 #MAJNUNAHIMANJU

— raghav (@raghaavvv_) June 29, 2023

Don’t limit us to a single month of celebration!🩷🏳️‍🌈🩷🏳️‍🌈, let #LailaaManju shine beyond Pride month. Embrace the power of its storytelling and showcase it to the wide world. We demand inclusive representation, not just token support!! #inclusivecinema🏳️‍🌈 #MAJNUNAHIMANJU🏳️‍🌈

— Pransh (@pranshfr) June 29, 2023

Even critics across the country have appreciated the response the mini-feature received.

More power to women filmmakers! #LailaaManju, a crowdfunded queer-made film directed by the independent filmmaker Kamya N (@Strangeconsumer) received a phenomenal response with thundering applause from the audience at 14th @KashishMIQFF, South Asia’s biggest LGBTQ+ film festival.… pic.twitter.com/JyrWsGrg9c

— Ramesh Bala (@rameshlaus) June 14, 2023

Director Kamya shares, “We’ve found ourselves surrounded by love, gratitude and compassion. Thank you for the faith you’ve had in us. We hope we can share our film with you again. Many members of the audience and the fraternity have been asking us if the film will come to any OTT platforms and we hope to connect with them as well after this phenomenal run. Women, queer and OTT— can sometimes be considered challenging material even today, which we are trying to normalise with our efforts!”

Pride month comes to an end and yet another year would pass with tokenism at its helm— with no tender and real stories finding platforms, to be seen as part of mainstream media and cinema.