Don’t have to sit at home and wait for work, says Ruslaan on OTT boom

OTT platforms have given a fresh lease of life to the careers of many actors, and for Ruslaan Mumtaz, the medium has definitely come as a boon.

“There’s a lot of content and that means that actors can keep on working. Earlier, one was just doing a film and if you weren’t shooting regularly, then you’re just sitting at home. Now, one doesn’t have to do that,” he shares.

Having worked in films, TV, as well as on the web, he feels the digital medium provides a much-needed middle ground for actors. “If you do TV, you’re working everyday of the year. So, I think OTT breaks that. In these last couple of years, I’ve been doing a lot of web series and web films, and it gave me a breather. I could work on one project, and then move on to the next one,” explains the actor, who started his acting career with film MP3: Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar in 2007.

And though the pandemic impacted all different industries and sectors, Mumtaz, 39, asserts that OTT platform turned out to be a blessing in such tough times and ensured constant flow of work for actors like him.

“When this pandemic started, I really thought that my work is done and I didn’t know when I’d get my next job. But in these two years, I’ve been busier than I was two years prior to the pandemic. It’s just my luck. Now I sit back and look at my career and I believe in destiny, which I never did before the pandemic. I used to think that you get what you deserve and if you work hard, you’ll get good work,” he muses.

Other than acting in OTT projects, music videos have also kept Mumtaz busy.

“I shot for some seven music videos just last month. There are all kinds of different work that’s there for us and if you’re open to taking them, you’ll get enough work,” he concludes.