Amazon Prime has big plans for India over the next few year. They have a bunch of originals lined up with some of the biggest talent in Bollywood like Kabir Khan, Zoya Akhtar, Farhan Akhtar and Anushka Sharma. Vijay Subramaniam, Director and Content Head of Amazon Prime India spoke to us about their plans for the Indian market, competing with Netflix and why the ‘story’ will always be primary for them.
There have been a host of shows that Amazon has released in the last few years, there’s been Lakhon Mein Ek, Inside Edge and now Mirzapur. What’s the India plan like for the next few years?
Vijay Subramaniam: Well, making sure that we are reflecting the existing tastes and preferences of our customers and evolving with them, is very important for us. So our content selection and the teams that we are doubling in on are all reflective of that. We are going to continue to invest significantly in originals, and are going to scale it to regional languages like Tamil and Telugu.
This (Mirzapur) is our fifth original and next year we will have nine on the service. I am just talking about the Hindi ones in our original series and by 2020 we hope to also have originals in Tamil and Telugu. Simultaneously, we are looking to continue to grow the comedy scene. We have a lot of stand-up specials that are coming in this year and next year. Some of them are coming with their second specials. There is also Comicstaan season 2 underway. We are looking to get great content there. And also examining and currently evaluating some very interesting comedy formats in addition to all of these. It’s just so that the comedy environment overall is complete because we know our customers enjoy it. When it comes to movies, it will include the latest and greatest stuff and we hope to give customers the best local cinema as well as international cinema. We have also added Kannada films earlier this month and we will be adding a couple of more regional languages on the service in the next 12 months.
But what is the slate going to look like, like you said? I mean like you said comedy is really what you think, people really want?
VS: Yes, people care a lot about it because comedy is also a reflection of society and you know practically every territory. Young people love it and what you see on the service over time is older folks are also loving it. Because it makes you laugh. Who wouldn’t want to laugh?
So as for the slate, we’ve got nine shows next year on the originals. Besides the originals we’ve got a couple of shows, in our exclusive space. We have the second season of Laakhon Mein Ek which is currently underway. I can tell you the shows that have been announced for next year include Four more shots please which is a light-hearted comedy about four girls, Skulls and Roses - a reality show, Made in heaven with Zoya Akhtar, Comicstaan which is Kabir Khan’s show and Family Man which is the show that Raj and DK are putting together.
My colleague was telling me the other day that if you want to see some of the best regional movies you’ve got to check it on Amazon Prime. How do you plan on nurturing that?
VS: Well, we have to be consistent. I think what’s also happened is that the rich stories that these regions tend to have, had only one outlet which was only a theatrical release. Not everything gets played on television but now they have, with us it’s much easier to get their customers activated and excited. And so that’s what’s happening which is why Aruvi, the Tamil film or Arjun Reddy which is now being remade in Hindi were such big successes. It’s just a validation of the fact that we are listening to what our customers want and the success of it means that we are doing the right thing.
Do you feel like because of the digital influx, the small, slice-of-life film will not get a theatrical release anymore, movie watching will become about the big, event film?
VS: No, that’s the question best answered by a movie producer. That’s something for them to evaluate and determine what do they need to do or what do they need to change to make sure that this does not happen, if it is indeed happening. I just believe that, for us on Prime video we intend to bring the latest content to the customers, as soon as we can. I believe we have created an extra opportunity for ‘gems’ as you call them to actually get to consumers.
Netflix has announced a number of series for India and there are big names like Anushka Sharma, Madhuri Dixit, Priyanka Chopra. Is that a consideration?
VS: No no, we have equally big names. We’ve got Kabir, we’ve got Riteish Sidhwani and Farhan and Zoya. I think it’s really important to understand that for us it’s about the story first. Everything begins there. But I’d love to have stars like Akshay and Salman act in shows, I mean why not? As long as it’s a story that they’re interested in and it warrants their stature and everything else. I think it’s a great opportunity for all of them to be a part of the digital ecosystem and I don’t think that it is a sole consideration. We have a show with Anushka as well, so that’s my point.
How do you green light an original or even license an existing show or film?
VS: We have a ton of metrics. We look at a lot of data, examine the voice of the customer - what he/she is telling us, what are the conversations and not just about our content but generally. That gives us the fuel to determine where are the gaps when it comes to expectations versus us being able to deliver against it. Ultimately, you’ve got to take all the lessons that we’re learning from the anecdotes that we are getting from the customers and mix all of that with creative input itself and hone that into a craft. When it comes to movies, it’s a lot different. You are not really involved in the creative process. So there is a different set of frameworks that we use to evaluate whether a particular movie is the right one? Will it really make an impact and so on and so forth. But we do look at the mood or the environment in which the film is being set, who’s the cast, the technical team, we need those inputs.
But is there going to be like an emphasis to nurture new talent?
VS: Absolutely, look at Breathe. Mayank is a first time writer, director, showrunner. He’s been the Assistant Director on various prestigious projects but this was a first for him. This is a great opportunity for new talent as well as established ones to come together. There is absolutely no reason why they can’t, because it’s so democratic. It’s not slotted into five shows a day, aisa kuch hai hi nahi. And I believe it’s a great opportunity for the overall creative ecosystem also.
How do you see the digital space in the next 10 years growing?
VS: That’s a big leap. I think in the next couple of years, it’s going to be a great time to be a creator. It’s a large country with a lot of people who want to be entertained and so we’ll focus on delivering great value. That’ll automatically mean that they are able to access our service so there’s that. I do believe that there’s going to be a lot of penetration because the devices are there and it’s just a question of getting people aware and activating. A part of what you mentioned in the earlier question about talent also goes to the awareness and then it automatically means, ‘Oh yeah, I have to find out more about this because so and so is in it’.
There will then be many more stars made on the digital platform.
VS: Yes yes, there will be. There are so many YouTube sensations already and this space is no different. I think this is a great place and I don’t just mean in front of the camera, even behind. The writers as well, the spotlight is going to be on them.
What do you like watching? Are you a movie buff or prefer television?
VS: So I am a movie/TV junkie and I am an avid reader. When I say this many people say, “how the hell can you? Is that even possible?” I don’t know how it is but I just manage it. What I just watched was Homecoming and I finished it a couple of days ago. I’ve just downloaded the third season of Startup, because I really like that show. The female lead is so feisty and I just really enjoy that. I have actually missed out on many movies. There are certain movies that I really want to watch in the theatre, but my travel and everything else comes in the way.
Something closer home, Indian stuff?
VS: The last Hindi film that I watched was Badhaai Ho and prior to that I had seen Andhadhun. Both were absolutely fantastic. Last weekend I watched Fanney Khan at home and it was quite nice. But most of my regional selections tend to be a little off beat though. I think Anushka Shetty is a very talented actor and am a fan of hers.
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