OTT (Over-The-Top) platforms entered India years ago. But OTT content got tremendous boom in the country during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when theatres were shut for a long time. The web medium offered a chance to make unconventional content. But along with that, it also gave big opportunities to actors to play substantial and lead roles, something they weren’t getting to do in mainstream Hindi cinema.
Filmmaker Hansal Mehta, who is known for making quality OTT shows like Scam 1992, Scoop and Scam 2003, is happy for the actors. “It (OTT medium) has changed my life. We have seen how it has also benefitted Pratik Gandhi, Karishma Tanna, Harman Baweja, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Gagan Dev Riar with Scam 2003 and all those who deserved to be seen by the world. I think this medium has given them that platform,” he said in an exclusive chat with Bollywood Hungama. He added, “My only issue is that how many people are actually doing this but. And how much are the platforms really embracing this. I was able to do this through Scam (series).”
Pratik Gandhi became a known name overnight after Scam 1992. Mehta credits the show’s producers for going with his conviction. “It’s a risk we took,” he said. “Luckily my producers Applause Entertainment agreed for that. Otherwise, not everybody agrees to it. And it worked. The show was appreciated. And we have been able to continue doing that. It just shows that stories go beyond stars.”
Karishma Tanna’s case has been similar to that of Pratik. She has been acting for two decades but it was only with Mehta’s Scoop that people realized that she can be considered a great actor too. “I saw Karishma’s audition and I felt she is waiting to prove that she can act. I am glad that we cast her for this, and she has broken out the mould. And she has discovered herself as an actress through this,” said Mehta.
Arjun Singgh Baran and Kartk D Nishandar have come up with quite a few shows and created the recent one Taali starring Sushmita Sen. Mentioning other actors who have benefitted from OTT, they added in an exclusive joint statement, “Actors like Vijay Varma, Jaideep Ahlawat, Sobhita Dhulipala, Jitendra Kumar, Pratik Gandhi, Rasika Duggal and Adarsh Gaurav have featured in the kind of roles that the big screen may not have offered them. Today names like Pankaj Tripathi and Abhishek Banerjee are recognised and respected as major talents, so we can say that OTT has emerged as a game-changer, particularly when it comes to giving creative space to new talent.”
Explaining why OTT shows don’t necessarily need big stars, Arjun and Kartk added, “OTT shows are largely content-driven, and they are not necessarily bound to constraints of the ‘first day first show’ calculations that determine how well a film is likely to do at the box office. If the content is strong and the actors capable, audiences will enjoy it irrespective of how much star power it has or lacks. If an actor possesses the calibre to carry the story forward and the show reaches the right audience, it will become a hit.”
Citing an example of their show Rafuchakkar, they said, “When it comes to Maniesh Paul, people have seen him as a good host with great comic timing, but no one has seen him play a serious, layered, nuanced role. We feel that he is very untapped as a talent and one of the most refined actors in the country. And the way he has performed in Rafuchakkar is for all to see. Let us also remember that an OTT platform has a wider reach than a theatrical release and it is not a small achievement for any actor to carry a major show on his or her shoulders convincingly.”
In recent years, big Bollywood stars have also started venturing into the OTT medium. Arjun and Kartk don’t see this as an obstacle in the path of lesser-known stars who have made big on OTT. “OTT content is driven by content, not by star power and who is to say that good actors do not have a certain charisma of their own? When actors like Vijay Varma or Jaideep Ahlawat share space with stars, they shine even brighter. In our show Taali for instance, we had actors like Sheetal Kale, Vikram Bham and Suvrat Joshi, all of whom have performed exceedingly well. They hail from theatre and had never been tapped well and this show brought them into the limelight. Similarly, in Rafuchakkar, we had Vikram Kochhar, Akash Dahiya, and Aksha Pardasany, who are extremely talented,” they said.
Hansal Mehta has a word of caution though. “You can see that there is pressure from the platforms to bring bigger stars. There’s nothing wrong with that. My only issue is that it cannot only be that. Lack of dependency on stars allows you to tell so many more stories. It gives the audience so many more choices,” he said.
Also Read: From Hansal Mehta to Zoya Akhtar: Filmmakers who ventured into OTT and tasted success
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