Actor Jackie Shroff voiced his love for theatres, preferring the big screen experience to OTT. While acknowledging OTT's merits and the trend of smaller cinemas, he cited iconic halls and recent blockbusters as proof that the theatrical craze is alive.
Jackie Shroff expressed his love for theatres, saying he still prefers watching movies on big screens rather than on OTT (Over-The-Top) platforms. In an interview with ANI, Jackie Shroff reflected on the decline in theatre footfall due to limited seating capacity on big screens. However, the actor also highlighted the existence of iconic theatres in India, signifying the ever-present love of the cinemagoers for the big screens.
The Changing Landscape of Theatres
"Theatres have become a game of brick and mortar. They are building small buildings. They reduced the seating capacity of cinemas from 1000 seats to 200 and the rest are being used in the mall. Maratha Mandir is still there. Regal is still there. Eros is still there. Maratha Mandir is the biggest example. It is a respectable cinema hall in Maharashtra. Small theatres have started coming," said Jackie Shroff.
Big Screen vs OTT Experience
The 'Hero' actor, however, stressed that both platforms have their own merits and people prefer them according to their needs. "What has happened with OTT? A lot of things have started to be seen, Good and bad. You are sitting at home and watching a movie. But watching a movie on the big screens is a different thing, and OTT is different," said Jackie Shroff.
Box Office Trends and The Enduring 'Craze'
Reflecting on the low footfall in theatres for most movies in recent years, Jackie Shroff said that these trends have persisted since the 1990s. He reasoned his argument on the recent success of 'Dhurandhar', which has created records in Bollywood, and is still running in theatres after over a month from its release. "At that time, only 3 out of 10 movies (in theatres) worked. At that time, not all 10 out of 10 movies worked. We have also gone through the same phase. If Rangeela was shown on big screens, no other movie would have worked. 3 out of 10 movies have been shown and used to work, a maximum of 4 movies. The same trend is still there. 10 movies are shown in which only three work," said Jackie Shroff.
"Now things have opened up. There is more exposure. People are making their own movies, but the craze for the film remains the same, which Dhurandhar has proved. You can put it anywhere. On OTT or anywhere else. Dhurandar will remain Dhurandar. Animal will remain Animal. People still go to the theatre and shout and dance," said Jackie Shroff.
On The Work Front
On the work front, Jackie Shroff was recently seen in 'Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri', co-starring Kartik Aaryan and Ananya Panday. 'Tu Meri Main Tera, Main Tera Tu Meri' is presented by Dharma Productions and Namah Pictures, and produced by Karan Johar, Adar Poonawalla, Apoorva Mehta, Shareen Mantri Kedia, and Kishor Arora. In addition to Kartik and Ananya, the film also features Neena Gupta. The film opened in theatres on December 25, 2025. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)