Ranveer Singh's 83 to release on two OTT platforms

A still from the film

Filmmaker Kabir Khan wanted his ambitious sports drama, 83, to play out on the big screen, a fitting canvas for Team India's victory at the 1983 cricket World Cup at Lord's. Though the Ranveer Singh-starrer opened in theatres last December to much acclaim, its box-office performance was hampered by the third wave of the pandemic. For all those waiting to revisit one of the greatest milestones in Indian sports, there's good news - the film is expected to drop on two OTT platforms simultaneously later this month. mid-day has learnt that Netflix has bagged the rights of the Hindi version, while Disney+ Hotstar will stream the Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam versions.

Last year, Thalaivii had a simultaneous release on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video

When 83 was launched in 2017, Star India was apparently in talks for the television rights. "At the time, the OTT boom hadn't hit India. The deal was finalised, and Star Gold had got the satellite rights," reveals a trade source. However, the audience consumption pattern changed in the past two years of the pandemic. "With digital premieres gaining popularity since 2020, Disney+ Hotstar - the OTT arm of the Walt Disney Company India, of which Star India is a subsidiary - gained the rights to the regional versions." It was in the wake of the OTT revolution that the producers apparently sold the Hindi rights to Netflix. "With this, 83 becomes the second Hindi movie after Thalaivii [2021] to be streamed simultaneously on two web platforms. The film is likely to drop on both platforms on February 18 or 25. Only after two months of its OTT release, will the Hindi version air on Star Gold."

Usually, movies make their way to OTT platforms after four weeks of theatrical release. However, the makers of 83 wanted a longer gap. "83 hit the marquee on December 24. During the negotiations, the makers made it clear they wanted a minimum eight-week run before it released digitally and on TV," adds the source. mid-day reached out to producers Khan, Sajid Nadiadwala and Vishnuvardhan Induri as well as the two streaming platforms. None of them responded till press time.