‘OTT NOT A THREAT TO BIG SCREEN, IT IS TIME TO COEXIST’
With his performances has often wooed audiences roles, Pankaj Tripathi With a plethora of versatile in many web shows and films, and he believes both mediums have their own USPs
Long before OTT space became the go-to medium for entertainment, Pankaj Tripathi had started exploring the digital sphere – finding a new meaning and high for his career. The actor credits the medium for tapping his full potential, which the world of cinema overlooked, and believes that now is the time for the two mediums to coexist.
“OTT has played a very big role in shaping my career, and the position I am in today,” admits Tripathi, who embarked on his showbiz journey with a brief role in film, Run (2004), and has since come a long way.
THE STARTING POINT
After a few fleeting appearances in films, he got noticed in Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur in 2012, and went on to do Fukrey (2013), Masaan (2015), and Newton (2017). But it is the OTT platform which got him his first big poster.
“Mujhe yaad hai ke pehli baar jo mere bade poster lage the woh Mirzapur ke liye the... I was doing cinema for so many years before that, and was part of many movies, but filmon ne kabhi woh nahi socha mere liye,” he shares, adding, “Gangs of Wasseypur ke poster mein main chota sa kinare mein dikhta tha. And whenever I used to look at it, toh mujhe sirf main hi dikhta tha.”
Here, Tripathi clears that it wasn’t about the size but the presence. “Yeh nahi ki main apne ko poster pe dekhne ke liye mara ja raha tha, but who doesn’t like to see one’s presence on the poster,” he says.
The world of OTT gave him position and star power. “Unhone mujhe us layak samjha,” he points.
THE OTT ROUTE TO SUCCESS On digital space, Tripathi, 44, has carved a success story through varied characters, be it the dreaded gangster Kaleen Bhaiya of Mirzapur or the lovable lawyer fighting for the right in Criminal Justice.
Even during the lockdown last year, he had his hands full with projects including Ludo, Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, among others, releasing on the web.
“At a time when people were locked inside their house, looking for some entertainment, OTT rose to the occasion and gave something to look forward to. I was one actor whose six-seven projects released during that duration,” he reveals. P
BIG SCREEN VS OTT
Amid conversations about OTT turning out to be a threat to the big screen, Tripathi, 44, emphasises on their USPs. “They both have their own good points. Theatre ka apna community viewing ka maza hai, aur OTT ka individual viewing ka ek alag anand hai,” he shares.
Asserting that both can exist together, he adds, “OTT space is not at all a threat to the big screen. They can coexist. Hum festival toh roz nahi manate na, cinema is that kind of festival. It is about community viewing,”
IN THE PIPELINE
Next, he has films such as ‘83, Bunty Aur Babli 2, Mimi and Bachchan Pandey in the offing, but he doesn’t know the fate or the release plan of his projects.
“I don’t know which of my projects will release first. I’ve no clue about it. Filhal log meri film, Kaagaz, dekh rahe hain aur appreciate kar rahe. I’m getting messages from everywhere,” he signs off.
At a time when people were locked inside their house, looking for some entertainment, OTT rose to the occasion and gave something to look forward to. PANKAJ TRIPATHI, Actor