FROM BIG SCREEN TO OTT TO SOCIAL MEDIA, STARS DISCUSS THE FUTURE OF SHOWBIZ
The inaugural edition of HT NxT witnessed celebrities participating in an insightful discussion about the evolution of entertainment and creative content across platforms, and their thoughts about the way forward
Featuring one interesting session after the other, Hindustan Times’ inaugural edition of HT NxT was a resounding success. It brought together inspirational figures from various sectors, including showbiz, to talk about the changing face of entertainment in India — from OTT opening up a new avenue for actors to how the process of filmmaking has undergone a sea change.
Making films today is not the same as before, and who better than father-daughter actor duo Shatrughan Sinha and Sonakshi Sinha to talk about it! Shatrughan said, “It’s a change for the better. Pehle superstars heroes hote the, kayi baar directors bhi hote the — Bimal Roy, Dulal Guha, Hrishikesh Mukherjee… Aaj teamwork bol raha hai. Kaafi badlaav aa gaya hai films banane ke tareeke mein. The commitment might not be there as much now, but people are working hard a lot, especially the newcomers.”
Sonakshi, however, doesn’t agree with her father on the commitment bit. Pointing out that technology has become much more advanced today, she added, “There was more preparation earlier, as technology was not too advanced. Now, there’s more tools for composing, filmmaking, etc. Due to this, our so called ‘mehnat’ is less, but commitment is the same.”
When asked which era was better — his or his daughter’s — Shatrughan laughed and said it
was difficult to choose. “Har time ka apna plus aur minus hota hai. Hamare time mein teen-chaar shifts karte the, dates ki kami hoti thi. Aaj tak afsos hai aur khushi bhi. I wasn’t able to do Sholay asI wasn’t able to give them the dates they required. But I am happy that if I was not able to do it, it gave India an icon and superb actor, Amitabh Bachchan,” he said.
OTT IS THE GAME CHANGER
It won’t be wrong to say that the boom in the popularity of OTT platforms has given deserving
actors more chances to prove their talent. HT NxT brought together four of the most popular names on the medium today: Rasika Dugal, Sayani Gupta, Kirti Kulhari and Jaideep Ahlawat.
Ahlawat said a lot of genres have got the chance to come to the forefront on OTT. “Because of digital platforms, people watched content from outside India. They have started thinking, ‘Why are we not delivering the same kind of content?’” he said, adding that writers and makers have got more liberty now to create what and how they want to.
Pointing out that accessibility has also increased, Kulhari added, “A lot of stereotypes are being broken, a lot of newness is coming into the industry. It is a great time for us and audiences.”
The discussion progressed to how actors now have a wider pool of projects to choose from, since there is so much being offered. To this, Gupta remarked,
“Being choosy is a very individual thing. It depends on where you are in life — mentally and emotionally, whether you have dates or not, whether the money is good or not… There are many reasons. It is not just an OTT thing. When I didn’t have much work, I was choosy, and now when I have way more work, I am still like that.”
Kulhari also expressed happiness about how the representation of women is changing because of OTT. “The writing quality is getting better, and women are rocking it in the OTT space,” she said.
Meanwhile, Dugal said OTT gave her a chance to explore different genres. She exclaimed,
“That proved my faith in the versatility of the audiences.”
ONLINE IS THE FUTURE
Prajakta Koli is among the biggest social media influencers today. Popular for her YouTube channel Mostly Sane, Koli spoke about how content is the future, and “nothing else is ever going to work”. Stressing on how that was what helped her stay in the game, the 28-year-old shared, “I hit a major content block once, and was on the verge of giving up. But I kept putting out content and it helped me stay afloat.
Consistency helps. I think our audience is very smart. They are well aware of every click, like, dislike, comment. As a creator, never take them for granted.”
While a lot of us believe that likes and comments play a crucial role for creators, Koli doesn’t focus on them anymore. “It does not affect me at this point in life. Three years back, I was obsessed with it — wondering why a video got 50,000 less views, happy when I got 4,000 more followers. I don’t want to sound preachy, but I’ve reached a point where there’s no big or small. Four million [followers] might be huge for us, but 60-70% of the country has no clue who I am,” she said in a matter of fact manner.