Anurag Kashyap says he asked Nishaanchi Part 2 to be dropped on OTT after first film earned Rs 1 cr: ‘Seen my films being discarded my whole career’

“Had the audience turned up for part 1, there is no way the second part wouldn’t have been released in cinemas. And since most of the reaction was that the film felt incomplete to everyone, it was decided to let them have the complete experience,” Kashyap told Hindustan Times. When SCREEN reached out to the filmmaker, he had a similar response: “Because no one will see my film in cinema. Much rather see it all together on Prime.”

For those suspecting why Prime Video didn’t even promote Nishaanchi Part 2 before dropping it on the platform, Kashyap blamed the theatres. “No marketing could be done because of theatre-OTT rule. Theatres don’t allow to even promote the film or drop it anywhere for eight weeks, and OTT has to do their part of the deal,” reasoned Kashyap.

As per the agreement between OTT platforms and theatre exhibitors, the minimum gap between the theatrical release and the streaming release of a Hindi film must be eight weeks. “That’s another thing that theatres themselves don’t adhere to it. They will cancel shows and throw the film out if it doesn’t open, not allowing the word of mouth to build up. That’s how they treat non-tentpole films,” said Kashyap.

He added that the dismissal of Nishaanchi Part 1 is nothing new in his career, as several of his past films have also faced the same treatment from theatres. “It’s pretty one-sided, and I have seen my films being discarded my whole career by exhibitors themselves. We were lucky that we had a studio, who also has a streaming platform, producing our film and backing us,” said Kashyap.

Also Read: In Nishaanchi, Mehboob Khan meets Yash Chopra, as Anurag Kashyap takes a detour into melodrama

Nishaanchi is set in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh and revolves around two twin brothers who are like chalk and cheese. They fall in love with the same girl, as their single mother struggles very hard to keep her family together while combating the evil intentions of a local crime lord. The two-part saga marks the debut of Aishwarya Thackeray, and also stars Vedika Pinto, Monika Pawar, and Kumud Mishra among others.

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