While it's an agonisingly long wait for the theatre business to come back to normalcy, what with the pandemic showing an even uglier face, things are looking brighter at least on the OTT medium.
Quite a few major stars will be seen in a direct-to-OTT movie or Web series in the next few months, and for a majority of them it will also mark their digital debut.
Ajay Devgn: Bhuj - The Pride of India, Rudra
It was announced last year that Bhuj - The Pride of India would arrive straight on Disney+Hotstar.
While one waits for a date to be announced, Ajay will also be seen in Rudra, the Indian adaptation of the BBC television series Luther where he will play a complicated detective, a role made famous by Idris Elba as Detective Chief Inspector John Luther.
Kartik Aaryan: Dhamaka
After completing the shooting of Dhamaka in record time and earning mind-boggling remuneration, Kartik is all set for his OTT debut on Netflix this summer.
Ram Madhwani's film is said to be an edge-of-the-seat thriller.
Bobby Deol and Arjun Rampal: Penthouse
Bobby saw a resurgence in his career with Aashram. Ditto for Arjun Rampal with The Final Call and Nailpolish.
The duo will be seen in Penthouse which marks the OTT debut for masters of the thriller genre, Abbas-Mustan.
The men in white have completed shooting this Netflix film which is expected to stream this summer.
Sonakshi Sinha: Fallen, Bulbul Tarang, Bhuj: The Pride of India
Sonakshi will be seen in three Web shows.
While Bhuj - The Pride of India was designed for a theatrical release, Bulbul Tarang, directed by Shree Narayan Singh (Toilet - Ek Prem Katha), was made for OTT.
Sona has also finished shooting Reema Kagti's Web series Fallen where she plays a cop.
Farhan Akhtar: Toofaan
Toofaan was well suited for a big screen experience.
Considering that theatres may not return to normalcy anytime soon, it is a wise decision for Farhan and Director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra to bring the boxing tale to OTT.
Shahid Kapoor - Raj and DK web series
Raj and DK have The Family Man, Season 2 ready to arrive anytime this summer, and the duo have already begun shooting their next Web series which features Shahid Kapoor and Vijay Sethupathi.
Arjun Kapoor and Rakul Singh: Sardar Ka Grandson
This one was made for the big screen, but the delay has been long for its theatrical arrival so Producers Nikhhil Advani and John Abraham decided to bring this family tale to Netflix.
Arjun Kapoor and Rakul Singh are the lead couple in this feel-good entertainer that also features John Abraham and Aditi Rao Hydari in a special appearance.
Madhuri Dixit: Finding Anamika
Buzz has it that Madhuri plays a superstar who goes missing.
She reunites with her Raja co-star Sanjay Kapoor in Finding Anamika which will be unveiled on Netflix.
Akshaye Khanna: State of Siege: Temple Attack, Legacy
Akshaye Khanna makes his OTT debut this year.
State of Siege: Temple Attack is a follow-up to ZEE5's hit Web series State of Siege: 26/11 and is based on the 2002 terrorist attack at the Akshardham temple in Gujarat.
Akshay has also signed a Web series Legacy where he reunites with The Accidental Prime Minister director Vijay Gutte.
Raveena Tandon: Aranyak, Legacy
Alongside Akshaye Khanna, Raveena too features in Legacy as a parallel protagonist.
By the look of things, this is a dramatic story with power games coming into play.
Raveena has already shot for Aranyak where she plays a cop and streams on Netflix.
Taapsee Pannu: Haseen Dillruba
Had things returned to normalcy in 2021, there would have been a Taapsee Pannu film festival, what with as many as half a dozen films in different stages of production.
With the prevailing uncertainties, one of her films, Haseen Dillruba, has now chosen the OTT route.
A chilling thriller with Harshvardhan Rane in the parallel lead, this one arrives on Netflix.
