The Perfect Exclusive
The producer says OTT platforms were not keen on Marathi content. The YouTube audience respond with love and donations as well
Mumbai: When renowned singer Rahul Deshpande set off on an experimental journey to perform the lead role in a film called ‘Amaltaash’ little did he know that the film will fail to find a place in the world of OTT for four years despite of its rich content. Almost all OTT platforms rejected the film citing a reason of “no audience”. Finally, the producers of the film released the film on YouTube at free of cost in December 2024.
This episode taught Deshpande and his colleagues a lesson on film distribution. However, the silver lining was to the dark and cruel world of the OTT was the response from the audience. The film’s team did not only get a splendid feedback from the audience but also donations for their next project.
The team of ‘Amaltaash’ had been running from pillar to post to have the film showcased at an OTT platform or a satellite channel since 2018. All efforts turned into disappointment.
Over a week ago, Deshpande shared a post on his Instagram profile. In his post, he said that the team of Amaltaash approached all the OTT platforms and satellite channels and none agreed to showcase the film. He further said that finally in last week of December they released the film on YouTube.
Amaltaash, an extraordinarily written film showcases the story of how Rahul, a former pianist running an instruments store in Pune, gets soulfully connected with Keerti, an NRI who gets fascinated by his exceptional talent. The entire movie is a peaceful and serene display of human relationships, and takes note of even the smallest aspects of life. This film is a musical treat for the audience.
The movie was supposed to be released in March 2020. However, it couldn’t make it to any of the OTT platforms, which rejected the film saying “There is no audience for Marathi content on OTT platforms.”
Speaking exclusively to ‘The Perfect Voice’, director of the film Suhas Desale said, “The theatrical release of the film was successfully done on March 8, 2024 in Pune. The film went strong for 50 days. Rahul was our face. We promoted the film well and we really did well in the theatres in Pune.”
Speaking exclusively to ‘The Perfect Voice’, Deshpande said, “All those who we approached in a bid to have the film showcased in the world of OTT or satellite channels are my own friends. Nothing could work out on OTT and satellite channels. We decided to finally release it on YouTube. Without a single advertisement, the film is doing exceptionally well. We are getting donations and offers of sponsorships from viewers who are requesting us continue our good work.”
Deshpande pointed out that the team had got varied responses from various platforms. According to him Amazon Prime had said, “Thanks for reaching out, but the film does not align with our current selection of requirements, hence we are unable to pursue the same.” Netflix responded saying, “We are not interested in regional content, especially in Marathi content” and Sony Liv said, “This year we will not be taking Marathi films.”
Comments