Still confident of releasing Zombivli in theatres, says Siddharth Anand Kumar

Aditya Sarpotdar’s zombie comedy Zombivli was set to be released in April, but that plan was scuppered by the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and the shutting down of cinema halls in Maharashtra.

Though there is as yet no clarity on when theatres may be allowed to reopen, with the state still in a near-lockdown, Yoodlee Films, which has produced Zombivli, remains optimistic of the movie starring Amey Wagh, Lalit Prabhakar and Vaidehi Parshurami getting a theatrical release.

Siddharth Anand Kumar, vice-president (films and events) at Saregama India, said, “We are still confident of going for a theatrical release. The response to the teaser for Zombivli has been wonderful and we believe the film would be best experienced on the big screen. The film has been made brilliantly by director Aditya Sarpotdar and deserves a theatrical release.”

Yoodlee, therefore, is ready to wait for the situation to return to normal. “We are prepared to play the waiting game and release the film only when the COVID situation normalizes and a sizeable chunk of the population is vaccinated and people feel it is safe to return to theatres,” he said.

The pause in shooting and other film-related activities has affected other projects of the indie banner as well. “Some of our films were on the floor, some were in the development stage and some were in the final rounds of post-production," Siddharth Anand Kumar said. "Of course, with shoots halted, we did the best we could in finalizing our next slate of films and completing the post-production of films remotely as best we could.”

Yoodlee is now factoring in the pandemic situation while commissioning new projects, he said. “It’s certainly at the top of our minds because no one knows when we will come out of the pandemic," he said. "We are living in unprecedented times, which makes it necessary to ensure we are not tone-deaf in our stories and also to keep a tight check on costs.

"One of the few upsides of the pandemic has been the sharp increase in content consumption across all age groups and demographics," he continued. "People are waiting to listen to your stories, no matter how unconventional the stories are, as long as they are compelling enough.”

Recently, the makers of the Salman Khan-starrer Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai (2021) released the film on an OTT platform on a pay-per-view basis as well as theatres that are still functioning in some states. The Yoodlee head believes we need to wait and see if more big films choose this route.

“Radhe did make some waves announcing a day and date release on OTT along with a handful of theatres," he said. "It is going to take some time for the Indian audience to warm up to the idea of pay-per-view, but I feel it is an inevitable part of the evolution of the film business. Ultimately, the consumer should have the option of watching the film in a manner and at a time of their choosing, and it is important for all of us to find more efficient ways to enable this.”