Taapsee Pannu Says Issue-Based Films Like Assi Struggle To Find Space In Theatres And On OTT

Indian actress Taapsee Pannu, whose latest film Assi has just released, is currently using the platform to spotlight one of the most urgent conversations of our time, the injustice faced by survivors of sexual assault. While the film has sparked important dialogue, Taapsee has candidly addressed the growing challenge such content-driven cinema faces in finding support from both theatres and streaming platforms.

Appearing on The Right Angle with Sonal Kalra, Season 3, Taapsee reflected on the narrowing space for mid-scale, issue-based films in today's entertainment ecosystem. "All types of cinema have different flavour, different palette. If you decide you'll only watch one type of cinema, our cinema is going to start looking like a template. Then we'll not be able to show the variety that our industry and our country is capable of producing," she said.

The actress emphasized that limiting audiences to only "event films" risks stifling creative diversity and weakening Indian cinema's ability to compete globally. "How will we compete with world cinema, which is challenging norms and templates on a yearly basis?" she questioned.

Addressing the perception that meaningful, smaller films can easily find an audience on OTT platforms, Taapsee revealed a stark reality. According to her, streaming services are increasingly prioritizing large-scale, box office-backed films. "There's an ignorance out there that this certain type of film is okay to be watched on OTT. You know now that event films are working and I've been telling them during the course of the promotion of Assi, the reality of the matter is OTTs don't want this kind of films either," she stated.

She further added, "Films that are not big scale or event-based, there is a clear mandate that they want to take only those films which are box office hits. So soon there will be a time where you won't even have these kind of films like Assi for even OTT. So that's the reality of the matter."

While acknowledging the common belief that "good films eventually find their audience online, Taapsee expressed uncertainty about whether that will remain true in the future. Her remarks open up a larger debate within the industry, about creative freedom, commercial viability, and the shrinking space for socially relevant storytelling. The actress is slated to star in Netflix's Gandhari and other untitled projects.