You want assurance that makes you confident: Rohit

Ludo (2020) was always special for Rohit Saraf, given it was an Anurag Basu directorial and the story was “fabulous”. But, what’s more amazing for the actor is the response it got. “It’s been far more amazing than I ever imagined,” he continues, “I recently stepped out to watch one of Akarsh Khurana’s plays and some people came up to me and said ‘We liked the way you played Rahul [in Ludo], we loved your honesty’. You look for such motivating assurance that makes you confident about your craft.”

Ludo, like many films, took the direct-to-OTT route, and the actor feels it “made more sense”, given it released in 190 countries. “The 70mm charm is undeniable, but people are enjoying OTT. It’s about content reaching the audience,” adds Saraf, who also garnered praise for another web project, Mismatched.

Quoting actor Rasika Dugal that with OTT, no good actor is going to be jobless, he explains, “While there are films made for theatres, there are only so many that’d get theatrical releases. And now, OTT is that other platform to showcase your work, create content. It’s a blessing.”

Having been a part of TV, film and web projects, has his journey been difficult, given he’s a rank outsider? “I don’t want to disregard any of the struggles others faced, but mine were different. I also gave auditions that never materialised, not necessarily because I’m an outsider. Things didn’t work out on many levels,” he says.

However, Saraf, 24, admits rejections are tough to deal with. “You have to be thickskinned. But I’m grateful for all the rejections, because every time I’ve lost out on a project, something bigger happened,” he signs off.