We expect tax deferments and relief packages from the Government: Mautik Tolia of Bodhi Tree

The lockdown has affected the economics of almost every industry. With restrictions around large gatherings, content production has also come at a halt. In a conversation with BestMediaInfo.com, Mautik Tolia, CEO, Bodhi Tree Multimedia, says they expect the Government to intervene to assuage the situation. "We hope we get some relief from the government in terms of packages or tax deferments," he said.

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Tolia said they are focusing on pre-production and planning during the period. "We can't do anything beyond it. We are analysing the situation and hope things get back to normal. We have no idea how the situation would progress and are evaluating it on a week-to-week basis," he added.

Talking about how the situation has affected the company, Tolia said a couple of shows that were underway had to be stopped midway. "Revenue wise, you could say there has been a 20% impact as there has been no output for two months."

He said they have not resorted to salary cuts or lay-offs yet. "As of now, we have not gotten to that point; it all depends on how long the situation goes on. One has to keep reviewing the situation on a day-to-day basis."

Bodhi Tree Multimedia, which ventured into the digital space with producing content for YouTube for TV channels, has also been making content for various OTT platforms. Tolia said they will focus on being a medium-agnostic space. "We are essentially storytellers and will continue to tell stories where we can adapt to different platforms and be media-agnostic," Tolia said.

Talking about their recent creations, 'Raikar Case' and 'Marzi' for Voot Select, he said both the shows are being appreciated critically and have been received well by the viewers. "They are two very different kinds of shows; it's a good indication that different kind of content is being accepted in the webspace."

He said the lockdown has helped the viewership of the shows.  "The lockdown has helped because people who were not traditional viewers of web series have also started watching."

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