'ECVERY CHARACTERIS POWERFUL IN OTT'
ShefaliShahsays that OTT release free an artiste from vagaries of box-office collections and are more satisfying
Talks about OTT platforms being more democratic than normal theatrical release are quite common. One reason for that could be that there’s no number game. And actor Shefali Shah agrees. “The biggest advantage of OTT is that it is not confined to the box office. Right now, there are no theatres, kahaan jaakar dekhenge? Even when otherwise films used to release (theatrically), its fate would lie on a weekend. Friday, Saturday nahi chali, then it is gone, even if it’s a good film. That’s not the case with OTTs,” says the 48-year-old actor.
What also makes Shah excited about online streaming platforms is that one is there on it for posterity. “I still get messages from people saying ‘I was too scared to watch Delhi Crime (her web show, which released in 2019), we just watched it’. Projects are going to have a life. It’s giving not just actors, but writers, directors the liberty of creating what they want. They are not compromising, every single character is powerful in their own space,” tells us Shah.
In 2018, too, Once Again starring her opposite Neeraj Kabi, released directly on an OTT platform. “After watching the film initially, obviously makers wanted to release it in theatres. I told them, ‘this film can get lost very easily. It’s a sweet film, but let’s accept that there are no stars in this film. I would be very happy to see my poster, but let’s be realistic. If you want this film to be viewed, your best option is to go to OTT’,” she says.