5 Direct OTT Bollywood Films Of 2021 That Deserved Theatrical Release

Mumbai, January 9 - The year 2021 was like starting afresh for the Bollywood film industry after facing a massive jolt from the covid-19 pandemic. However, it was another year dominated by the digital platforms as covid continued to strike at the theaters.

The theatrical releases in 2021 couldn't grab much attention, apart from a couple of films. The lack of quality content kept the audiences away from visiting theaters, which directly benefitted the digital platforms. However, the theatrical scenario could have been completely different had Bollywood shown more confidence in their films that they sent directly to OTT platforms.



Many believed, including the critics and audiences, that some of the films that succumbed to OTT, would have or could have done wonders at the box office had they been released in theaters. Some of the OTT films got highly positive responses and strong words of mouth that helped them to gain views in millions. The strong words of mouth came in handy during the success of "Sooryavanshi", "Pushpa - The Rise", and "Spider-Man: No Way Home". We have listed out 5 such films in this article.

1. Shershaah - Shershaah was a golden opportunity missed by the makers for not making it a theatrical release. Those who watched it on Amazon Prime Video shared their views and regretted not watching it on the big screen. Based on the life of Param Vir Chakra-awardee Captain Vikram Batra, this Sidharth Malhotra-starrer had a missed opportunity to have a special place in the box office history.





2. Mimi - Mimi is possibly the finest film in Kriti Sanon's career. This heartwarming comedy-drama film might not have earned Rs. 100 crores but it had all the elements to become a massive box office hit. Kriti Sanon played a young woman who opts to be a surrogate mother for a foreign couple. The movie was loved by one and all. Just like Allu Arjun's "Pushpa", "Mimi" too could have built upon strong word of mouth had it a theatrical release.



3. Sardar Ka Grandson - Yet another heartwarming comedy-drama film that won the hearts of the viewers for its unique love stroy spanning three-generation. This Arjun Kapoor, Neena Gupta, and Rakul Preet Singh-starrer received mixed-to-positive reviews from the critics and viewers, but its subject could have made it a memorable theatrical experience.





4. Toofan - The Hindi audiences haven't seen many films on boxing drama, so "Toofan" could have done that for them in theaters. Many believe that post-covid, the movies that will appeal to the masses will work at the box office, and this Farhaan Akhtar-starrer was one such film. It could've worked very well on the emotional front, and solid casting of Mrunal Thakur and Paresh Rawal.



5. Sardar Udham - Vicky Kaushal's "Uri: The Surgical Strike" was a box officer monster, thanks to its patriotic real story. "Sardar Udham" might not have achieved what "Uri" did, but it could've been another box office success story for Vicky. The biographical historical drama is based on the life of Udham Singh, a freedom fighter from Punjab who assassinated Michael O'Dwyer in London to avenge the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar.



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