Saif Ali Khan's 'Bhoot Police' to release on OTT, confirms producer Ramesh Taurani

Producer Ramesh Taurani said the decision has been taken due to the Covid-19 situation

Actor Saif Ali Khan's upcoming movie Bhoot Police will release on a streaming platform as opposed to in theatres, producer Ramesh Taurani confirmed on Wednesday. Speaking to The Times of India, he said that the decision has been taken due to the Covid-19 situation in the country and added that it will premiere in September.

This development comes at a time when streaming platforms have emerged as viable alternatives to theatres. Several big-ticket movies such as the Akshay Kumar-starrer Laxmii and Vidya Balan's Shakuntala Devi released digitally last year due to the Covid-19 lockdown. Salman Khan's Eid blockbuster Radhe released on Zee5/Zeeplex under a Pay-Per-View model, redefining the tenets of the industry. It, however, secured a theatrical release in key overseas markets. The perception is that Bhoot Police may add a new dimension to the 'OTT revolution'

The film is touted to be a horror-comedy that revolves around the adventures of two ghost hunters. It stars Arjun Kapoor as the parallel lead and marks his first collaboration with Saif. It features Jacqueline Fernandez and Yami Gautam as the leading ladies and is an important release for them.

The positive response to Stree established horror-comedy as a viable genre, encouraging producers to explore the space. Roohi, the 'crazier sister of Stree' released in theatres in March and made a decent impact at the box office despite received middling reviews. Films such as Bedhiya and Bhool Bulaiyaa 2 too are in the works. The consensus is that Bhoot Police may be a gamechanger for the genre in India.

Coming back to Saif, he is going through a good phase on the work front and will soon be seen in the Hindi-Telugu bilingual Adipurush. Director Om Raut's magnum opus is an adaptation of The Ramayana and features him in the role of Ravan/Lankesh. The biggie stars pan-India hero Prabhas as Lord Ram and will celebrate the 'victory of good over evil'. It is likely to release next year.