Kamal Haasan on OTT revolution: ‘I saw it coming before anyone else, but the industry disagreed with me’

Kamal Haasan stands among the select few people who elevated the stature of Indian cinema on a global scale long before the emergence of Baahubali and RRR. Possessing extraordinary talent as an actor and an even more accomplished writer-director, Haasan has been an iconic figure in Indian cinema for decades. Notably, an impressive tally of seven films from the maestro has been sent by India for Oscar nominations.

Recently, he was conferred with the award for Outstanding Achievement in Indian Cinema at IIFA 2023. The actor received a standing ovation as musician AR Rahman gave the award to Haasan. While Haasan has never failed in making headlines, a recent media conference by the visionary filmmaker has now grabbed the attention of many.

Pointing out that he saw the OTT revolution happening long before anyone else, Haasan told reporters that people, however, did not agree with him. “I saw OTT coming much before everyone else. I told everyone that we have to get into it, but the industry disagreed with me. But now, everyone understands what I was trying to say, now that the Indian audience has got a taste of international cinema,” news agency IANS quoted the thespian as saying.

On the topic of staying relevant, Haasan said: “I am a film buff. I’d make the kind of movies that I’d like to see myself. Sometimes I get involved with them, and don’t act in them, I produce them, and I am doing it even now. There are a couple of films that I am producing, where I have nothing to do with them, except spend money on them.”

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The 68-year-old had recently weighed in on The Kerala Story controversy as well and called the film propaganda, saying a film does not become a “true story” just by carrying a tagline. “I’m against propaganda films. It’s not enough if you write ‘true story’ at the bottom as a logo. It has to really be true. And that is not true,” Haasan said, reacting to the controversy surrounding The Kerala Story, PTI reported.

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Meanwhile, the film’s director Sudipto Sen reacted to Haasan’s remarks and said that people who were calling the film ‘propaganda’ were those who haven’t watched it yet and by calling it ‘propaganda’ they were indulging in propaganda themselves.