The year 2021 marked a critical turning point for the global entertainment landscape. Emerging from the prolonged theater closures of the previous year, regional film industries faced a dual challenge: adapting to shifting audience behaviors and navigating the explosive growth of online distribution channels. In the context of Punjabi cinema (often referred to as Pollywood), this period highlighted a complex relationship between traditional theatrical releases, official Over-The-Top (OTT) streaming platforms, and third-party aggregation websites like Filmihit.