A common grievance of creators in the Hindi film industry is that their films struggle to find a home. But , s recent release Tehran is an anomaly.
mid-day has learnt that the political thriller, which premiered on Zee5 on August 14, is set to stream on Netflix India from August 26, making it one of the few Hindi movies to bag a two-platform deal.
Sources tell us that Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock Films, which produced the Arun Gopalan-directed venture, struck a non-exclusive deal with the two streamers. A source reveals, “The promotions for the Netflix release will begin this weekend. The acclaim the film received between the two staggered releases will only boost its Netflix première.”
A non-exclusive deal, though a relatively less explored practice in the Hindi film market so far, is viewed as a win-win strategy for all parties. The model enables platforms to acquire titles at a lower cost and expand their library. The makers have the benefit of their project reaching a larger demographic. In Bollywood, Vijan has favoured it. His production Mimi (2021) had a simultaneous release on Netflix and JioCinema in July 2022; the same route was taken during the release of Dasvi (2022).
Though was initially planned as a theatrical venture, the makers eventually decided to take the OTT route. An insider reveals, “The film was ready for a while before its OTT release was finalised. With it coming on two platforms, it looks like the wait for a streamer paid off for the makers.” When mid-day reached out to Gopalan, he said, “I am not in a position to comment, but I am happy.” Zee5, Maddock Films, and Netflix didn’t respond till press time.