OTT has been a life saver for a lot of us: Vidya Balan
Not just but actors everyone looking is at and considering OTTs positively. VIDYA BALAN, Actor
The realm of entertainment changed in the last 10 months with OTTs coming to the fore with a lot of force in the event of shutdown of theatres owing to the pandemic. Something that has now made a lot of actors, who have so far stayed away from dabbling with the digital platforms, rethink their career options. Vidya Balan admits that this has indeed brought about a change in the mindset of many actors including herself.
“We were watching a lot of content globally. A lot of the actors were feeling that the content here was not up to the mark, and therefore, we were shying away from doing any direct to OTT stuff. I don’t think the boom has now happened because of the pandemic. I think it has taken it’s time to come to become itself, and we have actually enjoyed the fruits of that during the pandemic,” shares Balan.
The actor says that she is now sure that she would be open to be part of an original OTT project like a series. “I was always sure that I wanted to do something in the OTT space. I was looking for the right thing, and hopefully I will find it soon,” says the 42-year-old.
The actor, whose film Shakuntala Devi, which was originally slated to release in theatres, made its way online because of the situation last year, says that the OTT platforms have been a boon in more ways than one.
“Not just actors but everyone is looking at and considering OTTs positively. Plus, the variety of content that is being made, curated, produced and consumed, means there is something for everyone. It has generated employment because there is that much work for people in the industry,” shares Balan.
She adds, “OTT been a life saver for a lot of us, who could not have afforded to keep our ready films on hold. We got an avenue to release our films and they were widely watched. We don’t know when people will be going back to theatres. Let’s hope it is soon, but OTT has opened up a completely new horizon, and that can only mean good news.”