Jackie Shroff defends big screens; Dhurandhar’s success sparks theatre revival, OTT vs cinema debate continues

Jackie Shroff disclosed his fondness for theatres, stating that he still relishes watching films on big screens rather than through OTT (Over-The-Top) platforms. In an interview with ANI, Jackie Shroff recounted the decreasing number of audience occupancy in theatres because of limited seats available on big screens. Nevertheless, the actor also pointed out the availability of legendary theatres in India, indicating the eternal affection of moviegoers for big screen theatrical films. "Theatres have become a game of brick and mortar. They are building small buildings. They reduced the seating capacity of cinemas from 1000 seats to 200 and the rest are being used in the mall. Maratha Mandir is still there. Regal is still there. Eros is still there. Maratha Mandir is the biggest example. It is a respectable cinema hall in Maharashtra. Small theatres have started coming," said Jackie Shroff.The 'Hero' actor, however, stressed that both platforms have their own merits and people prefer them according to their needs."What has happened with OTT? A lot of things have started to be seen, Good and bad. You are sitting at home and watching a movie. But watching a movie on the big screens is a different thing, and OTT is different," said Jackie Shroff.Reflecting on the low footfall in theatres for most movies in recent years, Jackie Shroff said that these trends have persisted since the 1990s. He reasoned his argument on the recent success of 'Dhurandhar', which has created records in Bollywood, and is still running in theatres after over a month from its release."At that time, only 3 out of 10 movies (in theatres) worked. At that time, not all 10 out of 10 movies worked. We have also gone through the same phase. If Rangeela was shown on big screens, no other movie would have worked. 3 out of 10 movies have been shown and used to work, a maximum of 4 movies. The same trend is still there. 10 movies are shown in which only three work," said Jackie Shroff."Now things have opened up. There is more exposure. People are making their own movies, but the craze for the film remains the same, which Dhurandhar has proved. You can put it anywhere. On OTT or anywhere else. Dhurandar will remain Dhurandar. Animal will remain Animal. People still go to the theatre and shout and dance," said Jackie Shroff.On the work front, Jackie Shroff was recently seen in 'Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri', co-starring Kartik Aaryan and Ananya Panday.In addition to Kartik and Ananya, the film also features Neena Gupta. The film opened in theatres on December 25, 2025.