Veteran Filmmaker Rajiv Rai Embraces YouTube for Zora's Digital Premiere

In a surprising move, veteran filmmaker Rajiv Rai is embracing the digital platform for the premiere of his latest film Zora. The murder mystery, which was released in cinemas on August 8, will now debut on YouTube tomorrow, October 2.

Rai explains that he had planned for a YouTube release from the start, as non-star cast films often struggle to secure deals with OTT platforms. "I knew no OTT platform would buy the rights as it's a non-star cast film. They only buy when there's a cast. Without a famous actor in the film, they would want to know the story. They would want to see the film. They would ask you a hundred and million questions. They feel very insecure," he says.

Rai's decision was further bolstered by Aamir Khan's recent move to release his film Sitaare Zameen Par directly on YouTube. "When Aamir Khan released Sitaare Zameen Par, it gave me a lot of encouragement and confidence. I was going to do it anyway. But if I had done it, it wouldn't have made news the way Aamir Khan made news," Rai adds.

Interestingly, the sequel to Zora, titled Zora Zorawar, will also skip the theatrical route and premiere directly on YouTube on January 1. "Theatre mein toh koi aata nahin hai picture dekhne. Then what would I achieve or prove by releasing part 2 in cinemas?" Rai reasons.