The upward trend in OTT viewership goes to show that not even a pandemic can curb the hunger for entertainment. A prime digital entertainment platform, Netflix is a companion we all share as we observe quarantine amid the current COVID-19 scare. One film to have streamed on it and struck a chord with the Indian diaspora worldwide is ‘Yeh Ballet’, produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur’s Roy Kapur Films and helmed by Salaam Bombay and The Namesake writer, Sooni Taraporevala.
After being reviewed as a gem in the cluster of content available on the streaming platform, praises and love continue to come pouring in for the film. Most recently, in an interview with The Guardian, world-renowned Booker Prize-winning writer, Salman Rushdie conveyed that ‘Yeh Ballet’ made him cry. Upon being asked what made him cry and why, he said, “Watching Sooni Taraporevala’s film Yeh Ballet on Netflix. It took me back to Bombay – a surprisingly powerful burst of nostalgic emotion.”
Inspiring on many levels, the story of ‘Yeh Ballet’ talks about the journey of two gifted teenagers from the underprivileged areas of Mumbai trying to fulfil their dreams of being dancers and the obstacles they face on this path. Not long ago, at a Netflix Earnings Call, the CEO of Netflix, Reed Hastings suggested the film in his list of recommendations. The platform’s head honcho picking an Indian film as a recommendation was a first.
