Mass Ka Das Vishwak Sen’s recent release, Laila, proved to be a box office disaster. Despite great expectations and good promotion, the movie did not click with the audience, resulting in a disastrous theatrical performance. The response was so bad that Vishwak Sen himself wrote an open letter, promising not to work on such projects in the future.
Since the release of Laila, it could not gather momentum. It could not make audiences come and see it, and negative word-of-mouth just made things more difficult for it. In no time, theatres began to cut down on its shows, and by the time it completed its run, it had barely regained any investment. The failure of the movie caused a buzz in the industry, considering the fact that Vishwak Sen has a fan following and had given successful films before.
Despite its theatrical failure, Laila is now set for its digital release, giving it a second chance to reach audiences. Reports suggest that Amazon Prime Video has secured the streaming rights, and the film will premiere on the platform on March 7.
While some believe that OTT might give the film a fresh lease on life, many others think it will only lead to more trolling. Given the film’s poor reception in cinemas, social media users are expected to have a field day criticizing it once it becomes widely available online. Some even speculate that Laila could become a meme-fest, with audiences dissecting every aspect of its storytelling, performances, and direction.
For Vishwak Sen, Laila’s OTT release is now being seen as a real test. While box office failures can sometimes be overlooked, OTT platforms often expose films to a wider and more critical audience. If the film continues to receive negative feedback, it could affect Vishwak Sen’s choices in the future. On the other hand, if it manages to gain traction among digital audiences, it could redeem itself to some extent.
With Laila set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video on March 7, all eyes are on how the OTT audience will react. Will it get a second life, or will it face even more trolling? The answer will be clear soon!
