Revolutionising Regional Cinema: An In-depth Interview with Aneesh Arjun Dev, Founder of Dollywood Play

Highlights

• Dollywood Play aims to fill the content gap in tier-two and tier-three cities, focusing on Hindi-speaking audiences.
• The platform uses existing technologies for subtitling and dubbing, with plans to expand to multiple North Indian languages.
• Algorithmic recommendations similar to Netflix are in the works to enhance user experience.
• Combatting piracy with strong copyright protection and rights management tools.

In the ever-evolving landscape of OTT platforms, Dollywood Play stands out as a game-changer for regional cinema in India.

Its Founder and Managing Director, Aneesh Arjun Dev, sheds light on the platform’s unique positioning, technological innovations, and long-term vision.

Aimed primarily at tier-two and tier-three cities in the Hindi-speaking belt, Dollywood Play is poised to fill a significant content gap in the market.

With plans to offer diverse linguistic content and advanced features, the platform has its eyes set on becoming a cultural brand.

Read on to learn more about how Dollywood Play is revolutionizing regional cinema.

Could you describe what Dollywood Play is all about and its market positioning?

Dollywood Play is a unique OTT platform designed specifically for audiences in tier-two and tier-three cities in India, largely focusing on the Hindi-speaking belt.

We’ve identified a gap in the market for mass entertainment that caters to people’s desire to consume cinema in their own languages.

Until a decade ago, the landscape was largely dominated by Bollywood and English-language films, leaving audiences with limited choices.

As technology advanced and the era of dubbing and subtitling came in, we noticed a seismic shift.

Audiences began to get exposure to a plethora of regional cinemas—be it Tamil, Telugu, or any other.

This phenomenon has been accelerated by the growth in OTT platforms, which offer Video-On-Demand services.

This availability of diverse content right at one’s fingertips—across devices and locations—is what we strive for at Dollywood Play.

It’s more than just an OTT platform; it’s a vehicle for a broader cinematic revolution that is happening across India.

What kind of technological innovations have you implemented for subtitling and dubbing?

As far as technological innovations are concerned, we’re not reinventing the wheel here. Rather, we’re in sync with current technological advancements and are utilizing them to the fullest.

Our features are at par with what you’d find in other established OTT platforms.

As of now, our focus is on offering content in Hindi, but plans are underway to extend our linguistic range to Bengali, Marathi, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Punjabi, among others.

While we may not be pioneers in technological innovation, we are definitely early adopters, ensuring that our platform is up to date with the best of what technology has to offer.

We’re compatible with the latest features found in high-standard OTT apps, ensuring a seamless user experience.

This is part of our effort to deliver top-quality service while growing our platform.

Do you have plans for implementing algorithmic recommendations similar to Netflix?

Yes, algorithmic recommendations are certainly on our radar, and we’re moving in that direction.

Netflix has set a benchmark with its recommendation engine, and we intend to offer a similar feature on Dollywood Play.

It’s a work in progress, but we aim to understand our viewers’ preferences and tailor the content offerings based on that.

It’s essential to realize that implementing a sophisticated recommendation engine is not just about technology; it’s about enhancing the user experience.

We’re not just providing content; we’re also creating a tailored environment for our viewers to find content that resonates with them.

So, yes, we are actively working towards that goal and hope to achieve it in the near future.

What’s your content plan for Dollywood Play in the upcoming years?

Right now, our primary focus is on offering dubbed content in various languages.

Just like Netflix started with English content and then localized it into multiple languages, we too aim to expand our linguistic offerings.

We have plans to bring in a multitude of South Indian films, which will be handpicked by our team based on what resonates with our audience.

The concept of “dubbed is the new original” guides our vision.
Localization and dubbing not only make the content accessible but also add a layer of originality to it.

India is a massive market, with a myriad of languages spoken across its length and breadth.

As we grow, we aim to cater to this linguistic diversity by offering content in multiple languages along with subtitles, thus broadening our reach.

How are you combating piracy?

Piracy is indeed a significant concern, not just for us but for the industry as a whole.
We’ve put safeguards in place to ensure that our content remains secure.

We have copyright protection mechanisms and rights management tools that significantly deter users from pirating content from our platform.

Although it’s challenging to eliminate piracy entirely, our technology and ongoing efforts make pirating content from Dollywood Play as difficult as possible.

The fight against piracy is ongoing, and while even big players like Netflix haven’t been able to fully control it, we’re doing our best to protect our assets and offer a legitimate platform for viewers.

What’s your long-term vision for Dollywood Play?

The long-term vision for Dollywood Play is to bridge the existing content gap. We’ve seen significant platforms like Amazon and Netflix evolve from offering content in a single language to multiple languages.

We plan to follow a similar path but tailored for the Indian audience.
By offering multiple languages we aim to make Dollywood Play a platform that caters to the diverse Indian audience.

Our other primary focus is curation. It’s not just about offering a plethora of content; it’s about delivering content that the audience wants to see.

Our ultimate goal is to create an inclusive cinematic experience that appeals to everyone, irrespective of language, region, or demographic.

FAQs

What is Dollywood Play’s target audience?

Dollywood Play primarily focuses on audiences in tier-two and tier-three cities in India, especially those who speak Hindi.

How does Dollywood Play deal with subtitling and dubbing?

The platform is leveraging current technologies to provide high-quality subtitling and dubbing, making it accessible to a wider audience.

Are there plans for an algorithmic recommendation system?

Yes, Dollywood Play is working on implementing an algorithmic recommendation engine to personalize user experience.

What measures are being taken against piracy?

Dollywood Play has implemented copyright protection and rights management tools to make piracy difficult.