India, Nov. 16 -- There is a sudden vacuum in our lives. It is not one that is unprecedented, but certainly one that is rather painful. Cinema, the silver screen, the box office, Hollywood, Bollywood, Tollywood, Gollywood, et al, have all taken a beating in various ways. The over-the-top (OTT) era has snatched the zing from the erstwhile king of entertainment. There is hardly any reason to go "to the movies" anymore. Popcorn and cola sellers haven't suffered as much since these are consumables which can be ordered at home but cinema halls are literally crying. Private television screens have gotten bigger, smartphones have gotten smarter and people are increasingly preferring their own comfort zones to consume visual content.

It is not a...