LITTLE CAUTION, AND WE HAVE A WINNER IN OTT
Boom, while hoping that appreciate about the OTT Celebs talk about what they act responsibly and the content isn’t sensationalised creators
Last year, India’s OTT streaming platforms were one of the fastest-growing markets. They not only provided entertainment during the lockdown but also generated employment for filmmakers, actors, technicians and even daily wage workers. There’s a lot to celebrate about the medium but with its rise, there have been some concerns, too. Actors pronounce on the topic:
Mirzapur actor Pankaj Tripathi admits, “I know the audiences enjoy my work but I am that halwai jo apni mithai khud nahin khata. I enjoy watching regional films and world cinema. I enjoy the fact that independent films that weren’t available to the audiences earlier are now there.”
The Little Things and Tribhanga (2020) actor, Mithila Palkar feels OTT is a liberating medium. “There’s a plethora of content for every mood, genre, language, without a time limit! I love being on the platform as there’s a story to tell for everyone and also because, as an artist, we have equal opportunity.”
Delhi Crime actor, Rasika Dugal, too, agrees that “there’s room for everyone” on OTT. “No one genre rules, as a variety of content is consumed. The genres of Paatal Lok, Made In Heaven, Mirzapur, Out of Love, Delhi Crime, Panchayat are all different and they are told differently, and there’s an audience for all. There is no formula yet,” she says.
Actor Namit Das wonders how different life would have been had the lockdown occurred 25 years ago. “Without the internet, we would have been shut down and in a bad state. Thank God for OTT, it provided entertainment and helped us all in a big way,” says the Aarya (2020) actor, adding, “What I like
Pabout OTT is the freedom to tell many kinds of stories and therefore many kinds of actors get a place to express themselves. But other than OTT platforms, there’s Youtube and Instagram, too, where one can put any kind of content. The online world welcomes creators and artists, and the sky is the limit.”
Having appeared in multiple web shows, Black Widows actor Mona Singh feels OTTs give actors options to be part of a variety of stories that weren’t “available on TV or the big screen”. “As an audience, I enjoy binge-watching and not waiting for episodes. As an actor, I appreciate that content is shot like a film and writers and actors are given opportunities to explore and experiment,” she shares.
While a lot has been talked about the upside of OTT, there’s a downside, too. In the business of entertainment, herd mentality is one thing that upsets the balance. Not just viewers but actors, filmmakers and writers, too, have been expressing their views against too much violence, unnecessary nudity and expletives in online shows and movies, and with everyone rushing to get a piece of this pie, clutter on the web is something to watch out for.
Dugal, however, feels that with any space, there is bound to be clutter and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. “Watching films in a theatre is different from watching films on a streaming site, as, in theatres, one film is being watched at the cost of another. In streaming space, many films can find their way. So, clutter isn’t bad. I would call it a healthy space as long as there is room for all,” she says.
Tripathi, who doesn’t like ‘sansani’ of any kind, explains, “Even if a writer pushes for them, one has to understand the need for it in the story. Excess of anything isn’t beneficial for anyone,” he explains. And Das, too, agrees that sensationalism is what one should avoid.
Palkar reveals that while she doesn’t necessarily enjoy violence, she has watched Mirzapur and Game of Thrones. She says, “I liked them for the story, making, acting and writing. It’s the makers’ discretion to use violence, bad language, nudity or not. On OTT, you have so many options that you can move on if you don’t like anything.”
#inbrief
PIt’s the makers’ discretion whether to use violence, bad language or nudity
[in their web project]. On OTT, you have so many options that you can move on if you don’t like anything.
What I like about OTT is the freedom to tell many kinds of stories and therefore many kinds of actors get a place to express themselves... The online world welcomes creators and artists, and the sky is the limit.
NAMIT DAS, Actor