The Theatre Era

As tough times await us, it's frivolous to talk about theatres. But doesn't it look like theatres would go out of fashion before the pandemic ends( But would it ?? ) With the footfall on OTT platforms rising daily. Looking at a screen stuck to the chair, with no ability to pause or even play subtitles, sounds so technologically inferior.

The blockbuster release has increasingly been generously funded, mega-multi-starrer films, which keep running sequels until they go unprofitable. In fact, content is sometimes the second priority; the fan base and the festive season come first. Over the years, movie houses have mastered this art. Roping in top actors into characters that have gone synonymous with their name.

The OTT platforms, however, are earmarked for the content. Their promise to give a shot to the aspiring director who doesn't have funds to compete against the mult-million movie releases. Thus in its cast and crew shines the raw, untamed art which any critic would be overwhelmed with.

But in all this, we have a critic of the capitalist movie industry and not much of the theatre culture. There is something about theatres that they have always been in history, be it the gladiators, the opera or the movies; theatres have outlived the contemporary art form. 

Theatres are the cradle of social recreation, where working masses blow out their stress, young couples bloom love, and the household celebrates yearly benchmarks. How we sit, look at or eat may change, but the need to socialise shall forever draw crowds to theatres.