'Iye The Others' by Debesh Chatterjee to be 1st Bengali film to get OTT release amid Covid

With the recent coronavirus outbreak, many films that were scheduled to release in theatres had to be postponed. While some filmmakers have still gone ahead with the release, instead of theatres these makers have decided to release their movies on OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, etc. The latest one to join the list is Bengali film, Iye The Others.

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Bengali film, Iye The Others to release on OTT platform

Iye The Others is certainly different from the usual mainstream movies. Directed by Debesh Chatterjee, Iye The Others will be releasing on an OTT platform this week. This will also make Iye The Others the first Bengali film to be released on an OTT platform amid lockdown.

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Iye The Others was originally made for a theatre release way back in 2018. Since then, it has travelled to many international film festivals across the world. The film was also screened at prestigious film festivals like the Berlin Film Festival. The film got its CBFC certification just last year.

While talking about the film in an interview, Debesh Chatterjee spoke about how Iye The Others was supposed to hit the theatres by this time. However, the makers and the entire team is quite unsure about the coronavirus situation in the country. With the skepticism of whether theatres would open anytime soon, Debesh Chatterjee added that they have now decided to release the film on an OTT platform instead.

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All theatres across the country have been shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic that has hit the world. Filmmakers are doubtful about whether people would like to go to theatres even after the pandemic has ended. Debesh Chatterjee added that since Iye The Others is not a mainstream type of film, they have decided to release it on MyCinemaHall app on May 22, 2020.

While talking about the benefits of releasing on an OTT platform, Debesh Chatterjee added that the team cannot sit back and wait in the hopes of theatres opening to release Iye The Others. He also explained how he thinks that OTT is the new, emerging medium that helps to reach a sizeable audience through its platforms. He also added how they can track the performance of Iye The Others by the number of log-ins and hence, attain immediate feedback for the film. Even Yaatric Chakrabratory of MyCinemaHall app mentioned that the platform is encouraging independent directors who are stuck due to the pandemic to release the film on their platform.

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