Hotstar introduces CinePlay, a blend of theatre and cinema

Star India's streaming platform has announced that it is expanding its Premium service and offering a new format - CinePlay, under its Originals banner. Hotstar Originals' CinePlay will showcase classics and contemporary stories from the theatre world. An official statement says that these are plays presented in a 'cinematic fashion', where each 'CinePlay' bring together 'the work of leading playwrights, internationally renowned directors and the best of the actors from both the theatre and cinema worlds.'

Available exclusively in India for Hotstar's premium subscribers, 20 CinePlay titles will release regularly on the platform, starting with 5 titles being released on 13 February.

This format will bring theatre stories from playwrights like Vijay Tendulkar, Badal Sircar, Mohan Rakesh, and Mahesh Dattani amongst others. The productions have been helmed by directors such as Santosh Sivan and Nagesh Kukunoor, and will feature actors from theatre and film including Nandita Das, Saurabh Shukla, Lillete Dubey, Swanand Kirkire, Namit Das, Darshan Jariwalla, Rajpal Yadav and Sonali Kulkarni.

Ajit Mohan, CEO, Hotstar says,"We have never believed in the artificial separation between television and digital audiences. Our aspiration for Hotstar Originals has always been to introduce new formats and stories that are not being explored by anyone, irrespective of the screen. CinePlay is a big leap forward for storytellers and their audiences in the country."He adds that this could bring in an entirely new way of storytelling to a 'generation that has not been exposed to either these stories or to the power of theatre.'

"CinePlay is presenting a new visual language that blends the grammar of theatre and the power of cinema. We are excited to be exclusive partners with Hotstar in bringing these rich and relatable stories to every screen. With this collaboration, we hope to capture the imagination of the digital generation through an immersive cinematic experience of the theatre," says Subodh Maskara, chairman and co-founder, CinePlay.