In a bold move to redefine the landscape of film distribution, Movie Saints, a pioneering pay-per-view platform, has recently become the proud home of the film “Jhini Bini Chadariya,” presented by acclaimed filmmaker Anurag Kashyap. This acquisition symbolizes Movie Saints’ steadfast commitment to championing independent filmmakers and fostering a vibrant parallel ecosystem for indie cinema. Unlike industry behemoths such as Netflix and Prime Video, Movie Saints isn’t embroiled in the fierce competition for subscriptions. Instead, it embraces a pay-per-view approach, allowing cinephiles from around the world to access unique cinematic experiences while enabling filmmakers to recoup their costs.
Ajira Rungta, the visionary creator behind Movie Saints, reminisces about her first encounter with “Jhini Bini Chadariya.” She first watched Ritesh Sharma’s compelling directorial work at the 2021 Dharamshala International Film Festival, where it made an indelible impression. Rungta, with an eye for distinctive storytelling, immediately recognized the film as a perfect fit for her platform. “I told Ritesh that I want to make everybody watch this movie,” Rungta recounted. Her determination to give the film the audience it deserved was fueled by its inability to secure a traditional OTT platform deal, thus marking the inception of Movie Saints’ journey with Sharma’s labor of love.
Launched in 2019 with the Assamese film “Aamis,” Movie Saints was, like many in the industry, struck hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite these challenges, Rungta is now leading a resurgence of the platform, driven by an enthusiastic audience eager for alternatives to mainstream cinema. “We are building a platform for lesser-known films, focusing on strong word-of-mouth and the community of cinephiles,” Rungta elaborated. She highlights a vital gap that Movie Saints addresses: the often-overlooked marketing of indie films. Movie Saints bridges this gap by collaborating with influencers who actively discuss films, thereby generating organic buzz.
The platform’s core philosophy resonates deeply with Rungta’s belief in the power of community-driven support for independent films.
. “This is how we are building a network of people, who are helping us to support these films. The sheer love of cinema is the draw,” she emphasized. This grass-roots approach has enabled a unique space where indie filmmakers not only present their works but also share in the financial returns that follow when these films find their audience.
Contrary to the aggressive battles waged by OTT giants, Movie Saints positions itself as different—not by the size of its subscriber base, but by its innovative business model. “They are competing for subscriptions. We are competing against pay-per-view models,” said Rungta. The initiative aims to imbue filmmakers with a stronger sense of participation in their film’s success. Rungta explained this vision with a simple illustration: “If Netflix pays a filmmaker R10 lakh upfront and only 100 people watched it, the filmmaker wins. But if 1 lakh people watched it and he still only received R10 lakh, then it’s a win-win for Netflix.” Movie Saints seeks to ensure filmmakers have a genuine stake in their creations’ successes beyond the initial payment.
By shifting the focus back to filmmakers and ensuring they remain a fundamental part of the financial equation, Movie Saints is pioneering a model where success is shared and celebrated collaboratively. This reinvigorated model aligns with the growing global desire for inclusive and varied storytelling, a need that traditional platforms often overlook in favor of mainstream content.
In the evolving realm of digital streaming, Movie Saints emerges not as a competitor to Netflix or Prime Video, but as a revolutionary ally for creators who dare to bring unique, often marginalized stories to life. With creators like Rungta at the helm, the platform continues to chart its own course, nurturing a community that thrives on diversity, creativity, and the essential love for cinema that binds us all together. Movie Saints stands as a beacon for indie filmmakers, inviting cinephiles worldwide to partake in stories that might otherwise remain unseen, reminding us of cinema’s transformative power and its capacity to connect us all through shared narratives.
