Actor Gulshan Devaiah has come out to talk about his latest film, Ulajh, which is performing below expectations at the box office. Though the film received mixed reviews and earned decently at the box office, Devaiah is very optimistic and defends the theatrical release.
Starring Janhvi Kapoor opposite Devaiah, Ulajh opened to a lukewarm response with just under ₹5 crore in its opening weekend. The poor start saw some netizens point out that the film would have fared better on an OTT platform. “This would have found love, appreciation, and big numbers on OTT. But wrongly distributed by going to cinemas”, one user wrote.
Devaiah responded to it by posting his opinions on social media. Feature films are meant to be seen on the big screen. Hit flop toh chalta rahta hai. As pragmatic as I am about most things, I’m not willing to let go of my idealism when it comes to cinema. I also don’t expect people to understand this. It’s a very personal thing for me.”.
Devaiah also alluded to the concept of an “OTT film,” saying that it does not exist. He wrote, “To release on OTT is a choice…yes, it’s a business decision mostly but what about the artistic decision? Do you know the size of just the Hindi film business per annum? OTT can’t accommodate it all. Cinemas will exist in parallel just as it did for 2 decades with TV.
Despite the film’s struggles, Devaiah remains optimistic and true to the cinematic experience. He went on to say, “Struggle is the salt that makes success taste good. The ones who don’t embrace the struggle will never achieve anything worthwhile. This is a tough business. Period”.
Ulajh continues to run in theaters, and what it can do to turn around its fortunes is being keenly watched by fans and critics alike.