Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar will be the lead in the
action-adventure flick "Ram Setu", which will be released in cinemas
before its streaming debut on Amazon Prime Video, the American tech giant said
in a statement Wednesday.
Global streaming platforms, including Netflix, Amazon and
Disney's Hotstar, have expanded their presence in the country of 1.3 billion in
recent years, including by commissioning local productions featuring Bollywood
stars.
Streaming services have surged in popularity due to the coronavirus
pandemic as locked-down, cinema-loving Indians turned to them for
entertainment, with theatres shut for more than six months.
Amazon, which has already bet big on India with its core
e-commerce business, recently ruffled feathers when it was forced to issue an
apology for "Tandav", a drama streamed on Prime.
Politicians from India's ruling party called for the show to
be banned for "deliberately mocking Hindu gods" and disrespecting
religious sentiments.
Streaming TV services are not subject to the country's
notoriously fussy censor boards, which regularly cut scenes from movies shown
in cinemas and on television.
But under contentious new guidelines announced last month,
streaming platforms will soon be forced to withdraw content deemed objectionable
36 hours after a complaint.
The furore over "Tandav" and the new rules are
already prompting production firms to tone down programmes they are making, or
even drop them, according to media reports.
During his visit to India last year, Amazon founder Jeff
Bezos told an audience of Bollywood filmmakers that while Prime Video was doing
well in all geographies, "there's nowhere it's doing better than in
India".
Amazon has not announced a release date for "Ram
Setu", which refers to Adam's Bridge, a chain of shoals off southeastern
India that was built by an army of monkey warriors, according to Hindu
mythology.
"I look forward to telling the story of a significant
part of Indian heritage, especially for the youth," said Kumar, the
highest-paid Indian actor in the world according to Forbes' 2020 rankings.
"I am happy that, with Amazon Prime Video, the story
will cut across geographies and strike a chord with viewers across the
world."
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