Mahesh Bhatt taps digital medium boom for wider reach

A majority of filmmakers are using digital platforms to reach out to wider audience. Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt is one of them and says that the whole idea is to get first-hand feedback from viewers.

"The digital medium is an excellent place to reach out to your audiences based internationally. In the last couple of years, this medium has seen a phenomenal growth. We are looking at providing direct access to them," Bhatt told IANS.

"Social networking sites and video sharing platforms have made it easier and convenient for filmmakers like us reach out to our viewers. People are always hooked on to the web, either through mobiles or through the personal computers, and with such a hectic life; there is little or no possibility to watch TV at peace. Releasing trailers and songs online, gets you a first-hand feedback from your audiences," he added.

Taking it forward, the filmmaker has tied up with Reliance Entertainment's Bigflix.com, the online video-on-demand service, to release his film "Jism 2" exclusively in international markets. "Jism 2" featured Sunny Leone, Arunoday Singh and Randeep Hooda.

"The audience preferences have changed and filmmakers need to go with the flow. Web is one of the most accessible and convenient entertainment destinations these days. The international audience we are catering to is young and on-the-go. They do not like to be tied down to one place to view their entertainment," he said.

"With the increase in smartphones and tablets in various international markets, a video-on-demand service allows our audience the freedom they enjoy the movie whenever they desire. Video-on-demand is the freedom for entertainment content from the shackles of broadcast programming," he added.