If Bhotbhoti works on YouTube, certain OTT platforms will lose their monopoly: Tathagata Mukherjee

Tathagata Mukherjee is taking a different route for his acclaimed film ‘Bhotbhoti’. The film that was originally released back in 2022, will now be available on a digital platform. However, the film will not be available for online streaming on any popular OTT platform. Instead, the director informed that ‘Bhotbhoti’ will be available on YouTube. Why take this out-of-the-box route for his film? Tathagata Mukherjee spoke to ETimes about his ‘experimental’ decision.
Tathagata told ETimes, “Back in 2022, ‘Bhotbhoti’ didn’t get adequate shows.There were only 12-14 shows in Kolkata, in the rest of the country, 12-14 more. Moreover, the showtimes would be changed erratically. We could not even hold a proper premiere because there were no evening shows of the film. Two years back, we got some wonderful reviews from the audience for our film. But we still could not reach a wider audience because of the lack of shows. This year, when ‘Pariah’ became a phenomenon, our producers decided to go ahead and release ‘Bhotbhoti’ for our audience.” Tathagata added, “’Bhotbhoti’ was shot 30 feet underwater. It was a challenge to shoot the film with a chroma set under a swimming pool. The film was made on a budget of approximately two crores. If we go by the reviews, ‘Bhotbhoti’ could have earned way more than the budget. But the money the producers were offered in terms of OTT platforms and Satellite rights was very very less. So, it could not be figured out back then. Now that we have earned a little more attention from the audience after ‘Pariah’, we wanted to go ahead with ‘Bhotbhoti’. Releasing the film on YouTube is definitely an experimental decision. But if this decision works, numerous Bengali filmmakers, directors and producers won’t have to depend on the OTT platforms solely to showcase their work.”

Tathagata considers YouTube as the ‘mother of OTTs’. The director says, “With YouTube, we get the exposure of the global audience. With the help of subtitles, films will transcend the barriers of language and region. Moreover, Bengali filmmakers will dare try their hands in newer ideas and can experiment with their craft.” With ‘Bhotbhoti’, the ‘Pariah’ director is also hopeful to bring in a fresh breath of liberty from the dependency on OTT platforms on this Independence Day. Tathagata hopes, ‘Bhotbhoti’s release on YouTube will create new avenues for aspiring filmmakers and independent films as well.
YouTube, a hub for music videos, teasers, trailers and short films, is not typically used to stream full-length feature films. However, breaking the norm, ‘Bhotbhoti’, a 166-minute-long will be available for streaming on YouTube from August 16.Tathagata took to social media a few days ago to announce the same and wrote, “After a long wait, finally ‘Bhotbhoti’ is releasing on August 16 on Pluto Music's YouTube channel, for everyone. Many people could not watch ‘Bhotbhoti’ in theaters due to various reasons. ‘Bhotbhoti’ is accessible to all of them from August 16. The entire team of ‘Bhotbhoti’ is thankful to the producers that they are finally releasing the film for a wider audience. People from any part of the world can now enjoy ‘Bhotbhoti’ at the comfort of their homes.”

‘Bhotbhoti’ stars Rishav Basu, Bibriti Chatterjee, Debleena Dutt, Rajatava Dutta, and Anirban Chakraborty. Tathagata’s recent film ‘Pariah – Vol 1: Every Street Dog Has a Name’ secured a spot on one of the most popular OTT platforms for Bengali content. By releasing ‘Bhotbhoti’ on YouTube, he aims to explore new avenues for Bengali films and reach a broader audience, instilling confidence in his decision. Tathagata hopes this move will in time encourage other filmmakers to consider alternative platforms for their work, ensuring that Bengali cinema continues to thrive.