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SRK’s FOMO with Disney+ Hotstar continues
The Badshah of Bollywood’s attempts to get on the leading video streaming platform still isn’t delivering any hits.
Shah Rukh Khan aka Rahul aka naam to suna hoga isn’t having the best of weeks. Ever since he found out that his stardom is at risk because he is not on Disney+ Hotstar, unlike his peers, he is desperate to star in a show or movie on the leading video streaming platform.
In a hilarious series of spots, we see Khan, or SRK, and his business partner/advisor/khas dost discuss his inability to get on the platform.
In the latest spot, the third in the series, SRK is surprised to find out that Disney+ Hotstar hasn’t called, or messaged him back.
The Siway series is a telling tale of the state of the entertainment industry in India. We’re told that the likes of Ajay Devgn, Saif Ali Khan, Akshay Kumar and Sanjay Dutt have appeared on the platform. Only SRK hasn’t. With theatres shut for most of the last one-and-a-half years due to COVID-induced lockdown, the OTT space gained popularity.
Devaiah Bopanna co-wrote the series (Siway) with Tanmay Bhat, Vishal Dayama, Puneet Chadha and Deep Joshi. Ayappa of Early Man Films directed it and Karan Malhotra scored the music. The same crew also worked on CRED’s 2020 and the '21 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign.
One way to look at the series is that it is a build-up to SRK’s debut in the OTT space. Another way is to see it as nothing but a clear promotion of the Vivo IPL 2021’s second leg being played in the UAE right now.
Netflix did a hilarious spot, where it tried to tell folks that new movies are released on its platform every week. But it fell on deaf ears because everybody was busy watching the IPL.
The third slice is to look at SRK as yourself, a consumer who is missing out on all the action, i.e., Vivo IPL; Disney, Marvel, Nat Geo and Star Wars content; live sports; Bollywood and Hollywood flicks; English TV shows; and regional language content, because you have not subscribed to Disney+ Hotstar.
The video streamer has done away with its free offering and launched new subscription plans on September 1. Like SRK, you too may feel FOMO (fear of missing out) when all your friends and colleagues are on the platform, and you are not.